Through the Gates of Hell
by Arjent Draconis
Summary: The Swat Kats must face thier most deadly battle ever when a powerful demon lord seeks to open a portal to Malfeas, literally unleashing Hell on Earth. It will be a battle from which one of them may not return.
1. Chapter 1

[Warning: This is possibly the darkest story I've written to date, and certainly not for the faint of heart. It is rated 'Mature' due to violence, sex, rape, torture, mutilation, castration, and gore. ]

**Chapter 1**

It was late morning in Megakat City, the sky fair with a light breeze blowing to ease the heat of early summer. From a road outside the northern edge of the massive metropolis, two sleek sports bikes pulled up onto a high ridge overlooking the city. The bikes idled as thier female riders looked off ahead of them.

The silver bike's rider wore dark blue jeans, black biker boots, black leather gloves covered in metal studs, and a black leather jackat zipped all the way up to her neck. Raven hair hung out from under the silver motorcycle helmet down to just past mid-back.

Her companion on the scarlet bike was covered from head to toe in red. Most of her slender body was clad in a red latex body suit, with red leather gloves & knee high boots, and of course a red biker helmet. From under the back of her helmet hung a single thick braid of snow white hair trailing down past her hips and the thickly-furred tail of silky coal black fur with a white underside and tip.

The two riders, thier visors down on thier helmets to hde thier faces, gazed out on the huge city before them. The female on the silver bike and black leather glanced at her companion for a moment, then back to the city.

"This is the place?"

"Yes."

"You're sure it's here?"

"It's here. I can feel it."

"How long we got left?"

"One week."

"Great. That's gonna be pushing it."

"I know."

"Think he'll show?"

"Oh I'm certain he'll try something."

"Damnit. A thousand years, and he still can't leave us alone!"

"Well, it'll be your job to deal with him, while I perform the ritual."

"Right. I can't wait to sink my claws into that little bastard."

"All in good time. Let's go."

From thier vantage point, thier keen eyes could see that toward the southern end of the city, it's far more run-down, and most likely had a higher crime rate and less kats outside on the streets. It was exactly where they wanted to start looking for a cheap motel to stay at.

Gunning thier bikes, the two she-kats headed into the city. To get there, they either had to take the long way around the outskirts of the metropolis, or else go straight through the heart of the seemingly endless miles of crowded streets and towering skyscrapers. They chose the latter. Dispite thier high speed, far exceeding the set speed limit, the maneuverable bikes allowed them to dodge in and out of the slower traffic with expert skill, much to the annoyance of the regular commuters.

Before they could fully pass through downtown, they rapidly approached an intersection where they had a green light, but just as they reached it, a massive blue hovercraft came flying around the turn. It smashed past the cars, shoving them out of the way like so much debris as it plowed it's way recklessly through everything in sight.

The she-kats both swerved to avoid crashing straight into the hovercraft, but the silver bike, which was slightly in the lead, didn't have the few extra yards that the red one did, and ended up swerving too sharply, causing the ridder to loose control. The she-kat managed to leap aside, rolling when she hit the hard pavement and comming back up into a crouch, unhurt, as her bike skided several more yards and crashed into a lamp post.

The hovercraft slammed to a stop barely even a block away, in front of a large bank. The two side doors lifted open and a pair of robotic kats got out. The taller femenine robot was gripeing very loudly, her voice and 'accent' betraying her gangster personality, about the shorter, more stocky one's horrid driving. Both of the bots then put on a set of large gun attatchments onto thier right hands as they headed inside the bank.

The red-clad she-kat rode over to her companion, who was picking her bike up and grumbling softly. Her voice and choice of words making it clear she was now in a foul mood.

"You okay?"

"I am, but those tin cans won't be."

"Don't even think about it..."

Ignoring the other female, the she-kat took off her silver bike hemlet, setting it down onto the seat of her damaged motorcycle, and shook out her raven hair. A pair of short blood red braids hung down the sides of her face, one in front of each ear, which were adorned with a silver stud each, with the addition of a silver hoop in the left ear. Her fur was revealed to be a soft chocolate-brown color, with black bangs hanging down to partially obscure her emerald eyes, the look in them now being quite pissed. The she-kat then turned and headed toward the bank, adjusting something in the wrist staps of her studded black leather gloves.

The other she-kat sighed, and then removed her own helmet as well. Pushing a loose strand of white hair back away from her crimson-colored eyes, the two-toned black & white female set her own helmet down on the seat of her red bike before following her companion.

Inside the bank, the Metallikats were standing in the middle of the main area, demanding that the vault be opened. All of the kats, both patrons and employees, were cowering down on the floor and against desks from the pair of cybernetic mobsters. Molly shouted at everyone to stay down and don't try anything stupid. The guards who tried to fight back were all laying sprawled out on the ground, unmoving. The robotic she-kat then noticed movement behind her. Turning, she saw the biker she-kat standing just inside the front door to the bank, her arms crossed over her chest and green eyes narrowed coldly.

"Hey! That means you too, girl! On that floor!"

"No."

"What? You think we're just playing games here?"

"I think you two walking trash-cans need to get that peice of junk of yours off the street and back in the scrap heap where it belongs."

"Why you little...!" Molly then went over and grabbed the other female by the front of her jacket, lifting her off her feet. "When I get through with ya, yer gonna... AAGGHHHHH!"

The biker's hands both gripped firmly onto Molly's forerms, and powerful jolts of white-hot energy danced over the metal studs, flowing over to run across the entire surface of the robotic she-kat, shorting out her systems.

Mac looked over and gasped. "Molly!" He aimed his gun, and was about to fire, when something slammed him hard in the back, throwing him several feet forward onto the ground. He got back up, then turned back around to see the red-clad she-kat with the crimson eyes, now standing there where he had been, her hands on her slender hips. He growled hatefully at her. "I'm gonna rip both you brauds apart with my bare claws!"

Mac then lunged for her, but the two-toned female doged swiftly aside, spinning and bringing her right leg up and around, the heel of her boot slamming hard into the back of Mac's head, sending the robot flying forward onto the ground again. This time though she didn't let him get back up, dropping to the ground and rolling her hips, bringing one boot back up against his face, throwing him to the side.

.

Jake was watching one of his usual horror movies on the small tv in the garage while he and Chance worked on the engine of the only car that was currently in for repairs at the time. The television's screen suddenly went static for a moment, then Anne Gorra came on with a sudden live broadcast from the Megakat National Bank, downtown. As soon as she mentioned the Metallikats, both mechanics looked up sharply, banging thier heads on the hood of the car.

Looking at the tv, they saw behind the reporter several Enforcer cruisers surrounding the front of the bank, with numerous officers ducked back behind the open car doors with thier weapons aimed. Commander Feral held up a bullhorn and demanded that Mac and Molly come out and give themselves up.

Jake and Chance were about to run down to the hanger when suddenly Molly flew backward through the front door of the bank, landing on her back in the street outside. She groaned softly, but otherwise didn't move as tiny bolts of electricity danced over her metal body, and thin plumes of smoke rose from various joints.

The Enforcers, as well as everyone else watching, were quite stunned at seeing this. They simply looked on, too dumbfounded to react as the broken door was then pushed open from inside the bank, and held open by a she-kat clad in black leather biker clothing. A second later, Mac went flying out of the now held open door as well, landing on his face beside Molly.

Chance and Jake starred open mouthed at the tv as the Enforcers rushed in to restrain the two robots and make sure everyone else in the bank was safe. They were quickly followed by the media crew who were quite eagger to learn just what had happened. Everyone was quite surprised to learn that two she-kats were responsible for stopping two of the most dangerous villains in Megakat City, using nothing more than electricity conducting gloves and martial arts skill.

Anne attempted to interview the two female bikers, but they simply ignored her as they shoved past, the two-tonned she-kat putting her hand up to the camera lens and pushing it away as she passed by. Before they could get back to thier bikes though, the Enforcers' large commander came up to them, demanding to know who they were, and how they had managed to so easily defete the Metallikats.

The chocolate-furred female simply shrugged at the question. "It's what we were trained to do."

She then tried to turn away again, only for Feral to grab her by the shoulder and demand that they explain themselves now, or else will do so back at Enforcer headquarters. She glared coldly, and was debating on simply ripping his hand off when the large tom sees the distinct chain around her neck, mostly hidden under the collar of her jacket. Feral looped one finger under the chain and pulled it out from under the jacket to reveal the set of dog tags attatched to it. "You're millitary?"

"Special Forces. Former. As I said, it's what we were trained to do."

"What do you mean by 'former'?"

"I got sick of all the crap I had to deal with, and was constantly forced to do, from the Black Ops work. Sometimes all the bloodshed isn't worth the results of the missions."

"I see... Well that certainly explains your skills then. Fine. Due to you both being former millitary, and because you stopped two very dangerous criminals, saving the kats inside the bank with very minor collateral damage," 'unlike another pair of vigilantees,' he thought to himself, "I won't arrest you this time. However, you had better not be pulling any more stupid stunts in my city."

The she-kat snorted in irritation, but simply nodded, the two getting back on thier bikes and putting thier helmets back on. When thier bikes roared to life, they both gunned thier engines and headded off quickly, once again exceeding the posted speed limit, continuing back out of downtown toward the south. Not far down the road however, the silver bike began making a bit of a more noticable noise. It's rider growled softly, knowing that something obviously got damaged from the crash, making her even more pissed.

The two pulled into a small gas station with a convenience store, parking in front of the doors. They went inside and bought a six pack of Karona, then asked the clerk if he knew of any good body shops in the southern part of the city, which was where they were headding. He nodded and told them of the garage located in the old millitary salvage yard. The two thanked him, then left again.


	2. Chapter 2

It was now a little before 5pm, and the guys were about to close up the garage for the day when they heard the unmistakable rumbling of a pair of well tuned sports bikes approaching through the main gates of the salvage yard. They looked up and thier jaws dropped at seeing the same two sexy she-kats that had managed to kick the Metallikat's tails earlier. The two females pulled up outside the garage, iddling thier bikes as Chance came out to meet them.

"Can I help you ladies?"

The she-kat on the silver bike removed her helmet, shaking out her hair slightly as she looked at the mechanic with her emerald eyes, easily noticing the not too subtle flirting tone of his voice. "Yeah, my bike got damaged earlier, and I hear you guys are pretty good at fixing them."

"No problem. What happened?"

She just shrugged. "Some idiot ran a red light and nearly slammed into me."

After having seen what had happened with the Metallikats on the news earlier, Chance had a feeling there was more to it than that, and was sure he knew just who the idiot was that nearly crashed into her, but decided not to say anything about it. "Sure. Why don't you bring it inside and we'll have a look."

The girls dismounted thier bikes and rolled them inside of the first bay door while Jake closed the second one, watching the two out of the corner of his eye as they entered. He then walked over, and both he and Chance looked over the second bike. "Damage doesn't look too bad. Shouldn't be too hard to fix."

The rider nodded. "I see that you're closing, though. Should I come back tomorrow?"

Chance smiled at her. "Nah. You can leave it here tonight if you want and we'll start work on it first thing in the morning. Will you need a ride home though?"

The she-kat turned and spoke something to her companion in some strange language that the boys had never even heard before. The red-clad female nodded and responded in the same language, then turneed back to them, now being the one to speak, her voice softer than her friend's but with a faint cold edge to it.

"We're actually just passing through. Probably will only be in town for about a week or so and are looking for a cheap motel to stay at, if you know any."

"Well, there's one only a few miles from here. A bit run down though, but then so is pretty much this whole section of town. I could take you there if you'd like. If you want, you can leave the red bike here too and we'll check it over as well and give it a tune-up for you when we fix the silver one."

Jake rolled his eyes at his friend's flirting, but also couldn't help noticing how gorgeous the two she-kats were. The pair glanced at each other briefly, then nodded in mutual agreement, looking back at the pair of mechanics, the chocolate-furred female speaking up again.

"Alright. We'd appreciate it." She returned Chance's smile softly, her long tufted tail twitching slowly.

While Jake stayed behind to finish closing up, Chance drove the girls to the nearby motel in the tow truck. It was pretty run-down, and not in a very plesant neighborhood either, but the tabby knew that these two were more than capable of handing themselves. He couldn't help but ask about how they were so easily able to defete the Metallikats.

Again the females just shrugged, the green-eyed one mentioning her Special Forces training. They both refused to give him any more details on it though. He then asked them what had brought them to Megakat City in the first place, to which the two-toned she-kat simply shrugged.

"Personal buisness."

Chance continued to flirt with them, mainly with the chocolate-furred she-kat since her friend didn't really pay much attention to him, as they checked into the small motel, then walked to thier room. Once at the door, he then told them that he'll call them tomorrow when thier bikes were ready. They thanked him, then went inside as the mechanic turned and left again.

The chocolate she-kat flopped down onto the second of the pair of twin beds with a soft sigh. Her friend locked the door, then laughed softly, turning to look back at her. "Not very subtle there."

"So?"

"Tramp."

The she-kat stuck her tounge out at her two-toned friend, then got back up and put the beer in the room's small fridge, placing two of the bottles in the tiny ice box in the upper part of it to get them cold faster.

The red-eyed female just shrugged as she placed her small duffle bag onto the bed and unzipped it, pulling out a small amount of folded clothing. She then began to remove her boots and latex body suit. "I gotta admit though, the darker one was pretty cute."

"If you say so... Kinda scrawny for my tastes."

"Yes, I know the type you prefer. And that tabby sure fits it."

The chocolate female chuckled a bit darkly in responce. Once undressed, her friend put on the small outfit that she slept in, more like red lengerie than actual sleeping attire. The other she-kat did the same, though her lengerie was black like her leathers. Once they had finished changing, the pair relaxed on the beds, drinking thier beers. The red-eyed one leaned back against the head-board, propped up on the pillows with one arm behind her head. "It's still pretty ironic, the ways that we're always teamed up together. Like this latest time. Special Forces, and underworld assassin."

"Black Ops isn't that much different. I was still an assasin."

"Yeah, but you got told what to do all the time, and I got paid more."

"I still don't see how you take so much pleasure in killing."

"Twelve-hundred years, and you still don't have the bloodlust..."

"I'm not like you, Star. I wasn't born to this."

"But it's still in your blood. Like it or not, it's what we are. Predators."

"Killers."

"Same thing."

"Still doesn't mean I have to enjoy it."

"No, but that's half the pleasure of being what we are. The thrill of the hunt."

"I prefer a different kind of 'hunt'."

Star laughed at that. "You remember back in the 'old west'?"

"Yeah, that was the only time we were actually working on the same side."

"Yep. Bounty hunters. Now that was fun."

"Too bad we can't rely on horses anymore. Damn this modern technology."

"Oh please, Elena. You know you love it."

"I'm good at it. Period."

"If you didn't love it, you wouldn't keep doing it."

Elena flattened her ears, then took another deep draught of her beer. After a few silent moments, she spoke up again. "So do we have time for our usual game?"

Star looked over at her with a bit of surprise. "The mechanics?"

"Why not?"

"Not your usual style."

"So? That tabby's hot."

Star couldn't help but laugh. "Sure, why not..."

Elena gave a mischevious smile as Star got up, setting her beer on the nightstand. The red-eyed she-kat pulled a smallish leather bag from her duffle bag, then walked over to the table. The two pulled the table further back into the room away from the window, then began to empty the contents of the bag out onto it. A clay bowl, three candles, a small golden 'sword' about the size of a letter opener, a ceramic censor, a pouch of dried herbs, a piece of red chalk, a small silver bell, and a small, very old leather-bound book

Star then used the chalk to draw out a pentagram onto the table. That done, she began placing the items at various points on the pentagram. As she did so, Elena took the bowl over to the sink and turned on the faucet, planning to half-way fill it with water. The she-kat pinned her ears as the faucet sputtered, then the water began to flow out into the sink itself.

"Yuck. Hope this stuff works. I certainly wouldn't drink it."

"Might be better to go grab some ice then to melt. It'll be cleaner."

"Yeah, good idea."

She took the empty ice bucket sitting beside the sink, then pulled on her jeans and jacket over her lengerie to head back outside. Headding toward the ice machine near the office, she hoped that it was still working in this dump of a motel.

By the time she got back with the ice, Star had already gotten everything else set up, the room's lights now fully off. The small motel room was now lit only by the soft flickering light of the three candles, and of the dim glow of the smoldering censor, it's slowly burning herbs and incense filling the room with a strange, somewhat intoxicating scent. Elena placed some of the ice into the clay bowl and held it over one of the candles until it was completely melted.

Elena then set the bowl down at the final empty point of the pentagram before once again removing her jeans and jacket, tossing them aside. The two girls now stood opposite each other in front of the table, looking down at the drawn symbol on it and the items arranged at the points.

Star then spoke, softly and with a particular rythym, as if chanting. Elena joined in, both of them now chanting together as they began thier spell. The chanting turned into soft singing, thier two voices blending together perfectly, the lines rhyming as they used the old gaelic language. As they continued, the air around them slowly became charged with energy.

The two she-kat continued to softly sing, calling upon the ancient power of thier paegan roots, and upon the herritage in thier blood. The power flowed through them, and both of them could now feel it's intoxicating effects. Once the spell drew to it's completion, the candles and censor suddenly went out right at the climax of the final verse, leaving the room completely dark save for the faint flickering glow of a street lamp out in the parking lot through the shadded window.

Even in the darkness, the two girls made the short few feet back to thier beds with no trouble, as if they could still see perfectly. They both laid down to sleep as the spell began to fully take it's hold.

.

Back at the salvage yard, both Chance and Jake where now in thier beds fully asleep. In his own room, Chance seemed to be sleeping peacefully, hugging his pillow against him as if embracing a beautiful she-kat curled up at his side. his dreams quite vivid in his mind...

_The tabby was in a dark room, the walls, carpeted floor, ceiling, and even the silk sheets on the large comfortable bed all black. Hundreds of candles linned the walls, creating a soft flickering light. He wasn't alone though. Elena was with him, laying fully naked on her back on the bed, the tabby ontop of her. Chance nuzzled and kissed the she-kat, running his hands caressingly over her body as he slowly and passionatly made love to her._

Chance smiled softly in his sleep, nuzzling into his pillow as if it where Elena, his sensual dream continuing throughout the night. Across the hall, Jake also dreamed, though his was different, with a much darker edge to it.

_The athletic tom saw himself running though a misty forest, his only light being from the full moon overhead, though even that could barely pierce the fog and deep shadows. Bare-chested and wearing only his jeans, he was panting hard, his heart pounding in his chest from adrenaline and fear. He glanced to both sides, seeing wolves running parallel to him in the deep shadows beneath the trees, hunting him._

_The cinnamon male then stumbled out of the woods into a small clearing, gasping to fill his lungs with the chill night air in each hard breath. Ahead of him, a massive wolf stalked out of the darkness, snarling at him. The beast's fur was black as midnight, though it's muzzle, chest, and lower legs were such a pale white, that they almost seemed to glow as the fur reflected the light of the silver moon. The wolf's eyes glowed a bright red and it's sharp fangs were bared, the moonlight glinting off the exposed dagger-like teeth._

_Jake turned in fear to run again, to escape the deadly wolf, only to find himself face to face with the red-eyed she-kat. Star wore only a shall of pale shear silk that concealed nothing of her lean well-toned body. The female leanned forward, pressing her lips against Jake's in a hard but passionate kiss._

_Jake's eyes went wide in surprise, but then he returned it, a sudden hunger taking over him. The kiss became deeper, more lustful, and in moments Jake found himself on the ground with the female ontop of him. She removed his jeans, slowly and teasingly kissing, licking, and nipping her way down his chest and thighs, Jake moaning in pleasure as his malehood quickly hardened from the she-kat's attentions._

_Star then climbed back ontop of him, letting her shall fall away as she took him inside of her, beginning to ride him very roughly and dominantly, raking her claws down his body. Jake found that he actually enjoys the rough treatment of the female, panting and groaning out in painful pleasure as she continued to ride him, bitting and clawing at his flesh._

Jake suddenly woke up, sitting straight up in bed, panting hard with his heart pounding in his chest, his fur damp with sweat. The dream had been so vivid and real, that he felt over his own body, looking for the bite and claw marks that he was almost certain was there. He found none, but blushes in realization than he had came in his sleep, making quite the mess of his boxers and bed sheets.

He got up, grabbing a fresh pair of boxers and pants, then headded quickly for the bathroom, hoping that Chance was still asleep. Unfortunatly, both toms had woken up at pretty much the exact same time, both of them having the same reaction to thier dreams. Chance came out of his room barely a second after Jake opened his door, both of them stopping at looking at each other in embarasment. Chance looked down, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ummm... vivid dreams?"

Jake also looked down, blushing. "Yeah..."

"Those girls from yesterday?"

"Well... the one in red... You too?"

"The brown-furred one..."

Chance endded up taking his shower first while Jake changed out the sheets on his bed. As soon as the tabby was out, Jake got his own shower while Chance changed out his bed. While cleaning himself off, scrubbing the sweat and other fluids from his fur, Jake again checked himself over, the dream having been so real that he swore there should have beem bite marks somewhere on his body.

Once they both had completely cleaned up, they ate a quick breakfast, neither one of them being very hungry, before headding downstairs to open the garage for the day. Thanks to Mac's downtown demolition the previous day, there were now several cars to be worked on, though they started on Elena's bike first. While Chance looked for the source of the problem, Jake looked over the full design.

"This thing's gotta be custom made. It's got several similarities to our cyclotrons, but definitly unlike anything available on the open market."

"Oh yeah? Take a look at this fule intake."

Jake knelt down to see what Chance was referring to, and his jaw dropped in surprise. "No way this thing can get that much power off a hybrid system!"

"Yet somehow it does. It must get almost a hundred miles to a gallon. Military?"

"Maybe. That one did say she was former Special Forces."

"Elena."

"Huh?"

"Her name's Elena. And the other one is Star."

"How do you... nevermind."

As Jake continued to look over the bike's design, he eventually found a tiny seam on the side of it near the seat that shouldn't have been there. When he ran his hand over it, he felt it shift very slightly. "What the...?"

Pressing his fingers to the metal just below the seam, he pulled down. A panel slid open, revealing a small security pad. "Hey Chance, check this out."

"What is it?"

"Some kind of access pad. There's something hidden in here."

"Can you open it?"

"It's a scanner. Looks to be DNA incripted. Extremely high tech. Could take days or even weeks to crack. This thing's definitly got to be military."

"Think she's actually got something in there?"

"I don't know. It's definitly locked. Hmm..."

The lean tom then stood up and walked over to Star's red bike. Looking in the same spot, he found the exact same type of panel hidding and acess pad and scanner. The two then gave both bikes a more thorough look over, and found a total of three seperate panels on the each side of both bikes, all of them with the same DNA scanners required to gain access. As much as he was tempted to try hacking into them, he knew that the two she-kats were expectinng the repairs done no later than that afternoon, and they still had several other cars to work on as well.


	3. Chapter 3

Chance called the girls' room at the motel at around 2pm to let them know that thier bikes were ready and that he could pick them up whenever they wanted. Elena, who had answered the phone, said that he could come get them around five after they had closed, so no big rush. She then thanked him and hung back up.

Chance hung up the phone as well, hessitating a moment with his ears back. As much as he really wanted to see the green-eyes she-kat again, he was also slightly nervous now after having such a vivid and errotic dream about her the entire previous night.

Later that afternoon, when Chance did finally go to pick them up, he still tried to be his usual flirtatious self, though this time seemed a bit more nervous about, which both the girls found a bit amusing. Once they returned to the garage, Jake was also apparently nervous and shy at seeing Star again, which was made even worse when she glanced over at him with a dark, playful smile.

With the black & white she-kat back in the same skin-tight latex outfit, it too every bit of self control Jake had to keep his body from responding to his desires created from the previous night's dream. Star however seemed to notice, not only his increased shyness, but also the sublte changes in him as well as he began to become arroused just from the sight of her. She found this quite amusing, and even became somewhat flirtatious herself with him, which only made his own situation even worse.

Trying to push his own thoguhts and desires of the beautiful she-kat aside and focus on something else, he decided to ask them about thier bikes, and if they were custom built. To this, Elena nodded.

"Yes, I actually designed and built them both myself. There isn't anything else on the road with a better combination of speed and maneuverability."

He nodded in apparent agreement, then considered asking about the hidden pannels, but the thought imediatly slips his mind when he once again glanced over at Star, who was greatly enjoying making him squirm.

Ignoring them, though she could also notice, Elena got onto her bike and turned it on, revving the engine. There were no more odd noises, the sound now a smooth purring. She smiled in approval. "Perfect. You guys did a great job. Thank you."

Chance smiled and leaned back against the wall, his arms folded over his broad chest. "No problem. Anything else you girls need, just let us know."

Elena smirked. "Actually, I don't suppose you have any recomendations for a good night club?"

"What kind?"

"New Age or Goth preferably. Or possibly a Rave."

That surprised both of the toms, but they did know of several clubs from back when they were Enforcers. Of course those were mostly the once that had got the most notice due to calls there for various problems, not for thier popularity. Of these, Chance suggested two of the ones that were somewhat lesser known for violence, though illegal drugs were more common.

Once the girls left, Jake immediatly went back upstairs to the apartment and straight into his room. Dispite his being attracted to Star, he was very glad when she did finally left, and hoped that neither of the she-kats, or Chance for that matter, had noticed his 'problem'. The cinnamon tom grabbed some clean clothing and headded straight into the shower. He knew that even if Chance didn't notice, he would still be commenting on Jake's obvious attraction to the red-eyed female soon enough.

A short while later. Jake came back out of the bathroom in clean clothes, his fur still somewhat damp. Chance looked up at him from where he sat on the couch in the tiny living room.

"You okay, bud?"

"I'm fine..."

The tabby chuckled a bit. "Well, that's what you get for trying to undress Star with your eyes the whole time she was here. Of course that outfit of hers didn't leave too much to the imagination."

Jake pinned his ears. "Shut up! As if you weren't doing the same to Elena."

"Not going to deny it."

Jake huffed, then turned and headded into the kitchen to fix something to eat. After dinner, Chance, who had been unusually quiet the whole time, finally spoke up again.

"So, I've been thinking, it might not be a bad idea to get out minds off of the usual stuff for a while."

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean just going out and enjoying ourselves for a little while. Like maybe go to a club..."

The smaller tome put his ears back and shook his head, knowing just what his friend was getting at. "If you're thinking what I'm pretty sure you are, that's probably not a very good idea."

"Why not?"

"First off, have you ever even been to a goth club?"

"No?"

"Well, I really don't think you'd fit in too well there, pal."

Eventually Jake talked him out of the idea, and the rest of the early part of he evening was spent just relaxing, Jake readding and working more on his usual ideas for various new types of vehicles and equipment, while Chance played Space Kats. Around 10:30, they received a phone call about someone's car having broken down and possibly needing a tow. The pair had hoped to be able to go to bed somewhat early that night without any real distractions, but they still had thier 'normal' job to do and so changed back into thier grease-stained jumpsuits and headded out in the tow truck.

It was well after 11 when they finally arrived at the location of the broken down car. The owner had given up waiting and taken a cab home leaving a note for them to go ahead and tow the vehicle, and he'd stop by the garage the next day with the keys so they could start working on it. What both toms found completely ironic though, and worried somewhat about the coincidence, was that the car was parked right across the street from one of the clubs they had told the she-kats about. And parked right outside the club, were a pair of custom sports bikes sitting side by side.

It didn't take them long to get the car hooked up to the back of the two truck. Chance debated just going into the club for a minute to see if the girls were really there, but since it was a goth club, the partons that he could see outside all in black attire and makeup, many of them looking like they stepped out of some of Jake's horror flicks, he decided against it.

Later that night when they were finally able to get to sleep, they both had the same dreams as before, the dreams being just as vivid and real. Once again, both toms woke up the following morning to messed bed sheets and needing to take imediate showers.

The rest of thier work day went pretty normally, with the only real issue being the fact that both of them simply couldn't stop thinking about the two gorgeous she-kats. No matter what they tried to do to put them out of thier minds, they found it impossible to do so. At least until later that afternoon after they had closed the shop for the day, when the alarm from Callie suddenly went off.

The Deputy Mayor told them that Hard Drive was downtown causing trouble, and of course the Enforcers were having a difficult time dealing with the techno-creep in his newest high powered jet. The pair of Swat Kats imediatly went into action, and thanks to thier own combination of T-Bone's flying skill and Razor's sharp-shooting and high tech weaponry, it didn't take them very long to clip Hard Drive's wings.

On the way back to the hanger though, T-Bone decided to take a slight detour, flying somewhat low over the club district where they had picked up the stalled car the previous night. Razor's ears go back at the stunt.

"And just what are you doing?"

"Just checking on something."

"You're looking for Elena."

"It's strange. I just can't stop thinking about her."

"Yeah, I'll admit the past few days have been very strange. What is it about these girls?"

"I don't know, but I would sure love to find..."

"Wha is it?"

"Down there."

Razor looked down at the street below where his partner indicated, and both of them could clearly see the pair of motorcucles ridding fast down the city street, headding back toward the same goth club as the previous night. T-Bone circled the jet around, and when they passed by again, they could both see the pair of she-kats parking thier bikes outside the club. The tabby then turned the jet and headded back toward the hanger.

"Well, so what do you think?"

"I think you're not going to give up..."

**.**

By the time they had gotten back to the hanger, Razor had reluctantly agreed to go to the club. They changed back out of thier flight suits, then into simple black clothing, Jake in slacks and a long-sleeved button up shirt, and Chance into black jeans and a plain t-shirt.

It was a little past ten when they arrived at the club in Chance's car, parking near the pair of sports bikes. Once the went inside, they were both quite surprised at the atmosphere inside the club. Most of the lighting was either black lights that caused everyone's eyes to glow, as well as any white or light colored parts of thier clothing, which was few, or red stribe lights swirling around over the dance floor. Eerie gothic and punk rock music sent a strong thrumming bass echoing through the crouded club, the entire area packed with kats all dressed in dark gothic, punk and 'vampire' clothing, most of them, male and female alike, with pale makeup, dark red painted lips, and heavy black eyeshadow.

Looking around, Chance and Jake were now feeling quite out of place, and debated leaving again, both of them now seeing that this was most likely a very bad idea, when Chance suddenly spots Star and Elena. Both of the she-kats were out in the middle of the dance floor, dancing close against each other, thier eyes closed as thier bodies moved sensually to the flowing beat of the music. Elena wore a black corset eith grey trim and a pair of skin-tight black leather pants with knee-high black boots. Star was similarly dressed in a black & blood red corset with elbow-length blood red gloves, black latex pants and knee-high dark red latex boots.

The guys couldn't help but stare at the two she-kats that they had both literally been dreaming of for the past couple nights, feeling thier bodys flush at the sigh of the two in thier provocative clothing and errotic dancing. They weren't the only ones though, as many of the other clubbers were also watching the pair as they continued to move with and against each other in perfect rhytym to the music.

Once the current song was over, the two left the dance floor and headded toward the bar. Ha;way there, Star paused, turning her head to look straigh at where Chance and Jake were standing near the entrance. She smiled, then spoke something to Elena a moment before the two turned and walked over to where the guys were standing. When they approached, Star spoke, her voice smooth and inviting.

"Thought you said this wasn't the kind of place you usually hang out?"

Chance looked down a bit and absently rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, it isn't, but we were kinda currious to just check it out."

"Uh huh. So it had nothing to do with me and Elena being here?"

"Well... um..."

Star and Elena both laughed, then she green-eyed she-kat gave a playful smile as she spoke up. "Obviously you two have never been in a club like this. But we come to these places all the time. Still, I was a bit surprised when I learned that this particular one has private rooms in the back..."

This came as a definite surprise to Chance & Jake, not so much about the club having them, but more about the girls actually mentioning them. They were even more shocked though when Elena asked if they would be interrested in joining them in one of the back rooms. Chance felt his body flush with heat just from hearring her say that, and agreed. He still couldn't understand why he desired the she-kat so much, but after the two dreams, he desperatly wanted to them made real.

Jake however had no idea of what to make of the whole situation, but was too stunned to react much or resist when Star took his hand and lead him toward the back of the clud with Chance and Elena. The four entered a single large room with a king sized bed in the middle of it, the bed, carpet, and walls all being done in dark reds with black trim, and even the ceiling was black tiled.

Elena then turned and suddenly kissed Chance deeply. The tabby was surprised at first, but them rumbled softly in pleasure as he returned it, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her close against him. Star locked the door then turned to Jake with a dark smile.

"You look a little pale. Sure you're okay with this?"

"I've... never really done this kinda thing before..."

The red-eyed female smiled seductivly and ran the back of one gloved hand lightly down the side of his face. "Well, maybe you'll enjoy it. The sensations tend to be quite stronger than what you're probably used to."

Jake found that his body was already responding to her, his heart pounding in his chest. Star leaned her body in close against his, the slender tom able to smell the sensual and exotic mixture of jasmine and white sage in her soft fur. "Don't worry, Jake, I promise this will be something you will never forget..."

It wasn't long before all four of them were fully undressed and on the bed. Elena was somewhat rougher than in Chance's dreams, but the tabby didn't mind that at all. Jake soon forgot his initial nervousness and found that he truly did enjoy every moment of being with the agressive Star, even being a bit rough with her as well, his claws digging into her hips as she rode him hard, leaving multipe bite and claw marks of her own on his body. Though unlike in his dreams, this time they were very real.


	4. Chapter 4

Chance and Jake were both quite surprised at how much stamina the two she-kats had, though it was mutual as well since Star and Elena weren't as used to ordinary males being able to keep up with them for so long. Eventually all four were laying together on the bed, all of them quite exhausted, panting lightly with their fur damp with sweat. They just relaxed, Elena resting against Chance's side with the tabby's arm around her, Star against her back while leaning against Jake on the other side.

Jake's ears suddenly went back at hearing a soft beeping sound coming from his discarded clothing. He and Chance both groaned softly, knowing what it was. The two toms reluctantly got up and started to quickly put their clothed back in, leaving Elena and Star watching them in confusion. "You're leaving already?"

Chance just nodded. "Have to. That's one of the problems with being on call 24/7."

Elena put her ears back at the tabby's response. She knew that their own time in the city was short and she wanted to stay with him longer. "You can't just put it off this one time?"

"Wish we could. Sorry, darlin'."

Star then got up with a sigh and retrieved her own clothing as well while the guys redressed. "Well, we'd better get going then as well. "Our time for enjoying ourselves is over and we have to begin what we came here to do soon."

Elena sighed and looked down sadly. "Right. Almost forgot about that." Reluctantly, she got up and began to redress as well.

Chance turned back toward him as he and Jake started to leave. "Any possibility of meeting back up with you girls at a later date?"

Elena looked to Star, who shook her head sadly. "Much as I'd like to, I don't know if that will be possible."

Chance and Jake quickly made their way back out of the club and back into the car. They moment they got in and closed the doors, Jake pulled out the beeping communicator from his pocket and hit the button. "Yes Miss Briggs?"

_"Swat Kats! Where have you been?"_

_They glanced at each other, Jake blushing slightly. "Slight situation. What's wrong?"_

_"We've got big problems downtown. There's these... 'things', and they're wreaking some serious havoc!"_

"We're on our way!"

By then, Chance was already speeding back toward the salvage yard. He floored it even more, though the car didn't have the powerful engine and jet thrusters that they had installed in the modified tow truck. The instant that they returned, they both jumped out of the car and headed straight down into the hanger to change before taking off in the jet.

Sure enough, once they got downtown, they could see several dozen strange flying creatures swirling around causing all sorts of trouble. They were attacking kats, smashing out windows, destroying cars, and basically wrecking everything they got their claws into. The beasts were bat like, though much larger than normal bats, with long barbed tails and curved talons on their legs and wings.

T-Bone narrowed his eyes at the creatures. "Think Viper is behind this, buddy?"

Razor shook his head, looking at the instruments on his control panel. "I don't know. They don't seem to radiate any form of mutagenic properties, But their heat signatures are through the roof!"

They could already see several downed Enforcer choppers and multiple destroyed cruisers on the streets below. As they rapidly approached, several of the creatures turned and headed toward them, making ear-splitting screeching sounds. Due to the sheer number of the beasts, Razor knew that they were definitely going to have their paws full unless they could shift the odds a bit more.

"Lower your anti-glare visor, T-Bone! Let's see how many of these critters we can knock out of the sky!"

The pilot did as directed, both Swat Kats lowering their visors as Razor released a pair of flash bulb missiles at the horde of creatures. When the missiles went off, the blinding flash caused a large number of them to shriek loudly in obvious pain. Blinded and disoriented, the beasts started crashing into and attacking each other as the jet shot through the flock, smashing several of them and catching many more in the thrusters' backwash.

The remaining creatures began to scatter, but Razor picked off several more with shrieker and octopus missiles. After almost ten minutes, most of them were either dead, or had fled. Doing an infrared scan to look for any more, Razor does find several dozen of beasts below them clustered around one of the rooftops, and they appeared to be fighting against two very large creatures.

T-Bone angled the jet and swooped low toward the roof, Razor taking aim with a spider missile. As he fired, the two large creatures jumped out of the way with lightning speed, but several of the smaller ones were caught in the steel mesh netting. Almost immediately, the two large beasts leapt back over and slashed through the netting, killing the trapped creatures inside of it, then turned and bolted inside the maintenance door and into the building itself.

T-Bone gasped at how fast and strong the two larger beasts were. "What the heck were those things?!"

"Beats me. But whatever they are, they just sliced right through the steel net!"

"Should we go after them?"

"Would not be a good idea to let whatever those things are get away if there's any chance we can stop them. We don't need any more innocent kats to get hurt."

"Copy that."

The tabby carefully landed the jet on the building's roof, then the two put on their glovatrix's and jumped out, looking around for any sign of the beasts. Going over to examine the net and dead flyers, the things looked even stranger close up. They were solid black with a hard insect-like shell instead of skin, and covered in sharp quill spines, including a thick ball of spiked at the end of their long tails. despite this, the massive claws of the two larger beasts apparently had ripped them apart with one swipe.

As they then made their way inside the building, the pair were very cautious as they kept a close eye out for the two massive beasts. Razor noted that their body shapes had looked vaguely kat-like, but they were huge and heavily muscled with very dense coats and short but thick tails. The word 'werewolf' came to his mind, but he decided not to mention it to T-Bone until they managed to get a better look at the things.

At first their searching revealed nothing as they went down the hallways and searched the various rooms of the large office building. When they entered one of the larger rooms, filled with a maze of small cubicles, the fur stood up on the nape of their necks and they both had the strong feeling they were being watched. With there being plenty of places among the cubicles for something to hide, they were both completely on their toes as they made their way through.

A very soft sound, almost a growling, caught their attention and they both turned quickly to look to the right, their glovatrix's aimed. They didn't see anything, but unfortunately fell for the trick. It was from the left, now behind him, that the attack came. The massive beast lunged out of the shadows, slamming into both kats and throwing them forward through the thin walls of the nearest cubicle.

The second beast, which had made the initial growl, leapt out of it's hidding place and lunged at them. Razor rolled out of the way as T-Bone jumped to his feet and took aim at the massive beast. unfortunately he didn't have enough time to fire before it slammed full force into him.

Razor gasped as he could now see that the creatures were indeed werewolves. The one now grappling with T-Bone was a medium brown color with a black mane and glowing green eyes, while the one now stalking toward him was black with white markings and red eyes that glowed like Hellfire. Razor aimed his glovatrix, then fired, but the red-eyed beast jumped out of the way just in time as the mini octopus missiles whistled past it to slam into a file cabinet, knocking it over and throwing papers everywhere.

As T-Bone fought with the brown wolf, the massive creature proved to be stronger than him and managed to get the upper hand, or paw, as it were. It grabbed him by one leg and jerked him off his feet, then grabbed his left arm with it's other hand-like forepaw and lifted him up over it's head. The beast then threw him a fair distance over the cubicles, sending him crashing hard into the actual wall of the room. T-Bone groaned, now somewhat dazed as he leaned against the base of the wall, a hole having been knocked into it from the impact, as the beast stalked toward him, it's long fangs bared.

The second wolf lunged again toward Razor, who tried to leap out of the way. The massive beast was faster though and spun in mid-leap, kicking him with a strongly muscled leg. The blow threw him through another cubicle wall and into another file cabinet. Before he could get up, it pounced, landing hard ontop of him with both of of it's forepaws pressing down on his shoulders. The smaller tom could feel the beast's weight threatening to crush him. It leaned down, it's powerful jaws full of sharp fangs only inches from his face, ready to bite down. Razor's heart was pounding in his chest and he feared that he was about to die in the beast's jaws, but it suddenly pricked it's ears, it's jaws snapping shut at it began sniffing over him instead.

The werewolf tilted it's head and looked down at him curiously for a moment, then slowly back up, releasing him. Razor didn't dare to even try to sit up yet as he watched the red-eyed werewolf. The beast then stood up tall onto it's hind legs to look over the cubicles at the brown wolf, which was crouched only a few feet from the still dazed tabby and ready to lunge, it's jaws wide. The first creature made some sort of growling sound, which to Razor almost sounded like some form of 'talking'. The brown one looked up sharply, it's ears pricked, then turned back toward T-Bone, now with a more curious look. It then stalked the rest of the short distance to him, leaning down to sniff over him for a moment before suddenly stumbling several steps backward with a look of shock and confusion.

The brown wolf turned back to the other one and made the same strange growling noises, then the two suddenly turn and bolt swiftly out of the room. By the time Razor got back to his feet, the werewolves were gone. Confused, he walked over to T-Bone, who was slowly trying to sit up, rubbing his head.

"Ow... that hurt..."

"Good thing you were still wearing your helmet."

"Yeah... Where'd they go?"

"I don't know. They could have easily killed us, but they didn't. They just... left."

The smaller tom helped his partner back to his feet, then looked around. He couldn't help feeling that there was something strange, and oddly familiar about those two werewolves. T-Bone had noticed it too.

"Think we'll see those things again?"

"Somehow, I'm certain of it."


	5. Chapter 5

The following day, everything went pretty well normally up until sunset. Not long after the sun went down, more of those strange flying creatures began showing up. Only this time, there were a lot more of them, and they were in several locations throughout the city. At least this time though, the Swat Kats had a better idea of what they were dealing with, and Razor had made sure to be more prepared in the Turbokat's missile arsenal. Unfortunately though, simply due to the sheer number of the things, and the fact they were so widely scattered about, they did eventually end up running completely out of missiles, having to switch to their lasers, but also ran very low on fuel, forcing them to break off and return to the hanger to reload and refuel.

By midnight they were back in the air and still battling against the beasts, then they once again neared another large group of them clustered near the roof of a low building. As they approached, they could see the things apparently fighting the same two werewolves that they had encountered the previous night. The wolves were fighting fiercely, but were massively outnumbered by the creatures, their fur already splattered with their own blood.

Razor aimed and fired two slicer missiles at the swirling mass of creatures. The werewolves ducked, but the missiles went right over them with room to spare, cutting down a large number of the flyers. The pair of beasts looked up in slight confusion as the jet roared by overhead after just taking out almost half of their opponents. T-Bone couldn't help but laugh as they passed over.

"Well, they didn't tear out our throats last night, so wonder what they thought of that!"

"If a wolf could look surprised, I think those two definitely do."

Razor laughed a bit as well as he looked out the cockpit at the pair of beasts. Once they had flown past, they prepared to turn around for another sweep when there was suddenly a bright flash of blue light from behind them. Razor gasped and tried to look back behind him. "What was THAT?!"

T-Bone turned the jet sharply, heading back toward the roof. When they approached the building a second time, they could see a huge scorch mark centered around the two werewolves. All of the flying creatures were dead, smoldering in blue flames. The black & white werewolf wasn't moving as it lay in the middle of the ashes, while the brown one was kneeled over in obvious pain. Both kats gasped at the sight.

"What the heck happened?"

"I don't know, buddy. But it doesn't look good. Think we should go down there?"

"After what happened last time? Razor, those two things nearly killed us!"

"But they didn't."

"Yeah, and we don't know why. We don't even know who's side they're on."

They slowed down as they approached the roof again, and T-Bone engaged the vertical thrusters to hover overhead. The brown werewolf had gotten back up, and was half carrying, half dragging the other one off the roof and into the building. The kats couldn't tell if the second wolf was alive or dead. Razor used his targeting system to get a closer look at the pair of creatures, only to gasp when he saw the second wolf's face.

"T-Bone, look at the two-toned one. Do the markings look familiar? Look at the face!"

The tabby leaned over to look out of the cockpit down at the wolves, also noticing the white star-like blaze, and the marks around the eyes. "What the... that's not possible!"

"But what if it is? These things show up just a few days after those girls so, and have the same coloration and markings. Even the eye colors are the same!"

"So you're saying that these two werewolves who nearly ripped us to shreds last night, are the same girls we slept with just a few hours prior?!"

"I'm saying that it's too much of a coincidence."

They then heard over the Enforcer radio channel that there were more of the flying creatures elsewhere. The two made the decision to check on their theory about the werewolves later, but for now they headed off again to deal with more of the troublesome flying creatures.

Once they finally seemed to have gotten rid of all the flying beasts that night, they headed back to the hanger. On the way, they took a slight detour to pass over the motel where Star and Elena were staying. Parked outside were the pair of sports bikes, and the lights were off in their room. T-Bone glanced back at his partner.

"Think they're asleep?"

"This late, it's possible. But somehow I doubt it."

"Should we try calling them when we get back?"

"And make them think we're stalking them?"

"Hey, they came on to us, buddy."

"True, but if they really are werewolves, then we need to be careful."

"Why? Just take a few silver bullets along just in case."

"Funny."

**.**

The next day, the weather was completely overcast, dark and windy, as if there were a massive storm brewing. At around 11am, Chance went ahead and tried calling the two she-kats, but there was no answer from the phone in their motel room. He debated going over there to see if the bikes were still there or were gone, but Jake talked him out of it.

For most of the day, Chance handled the work in the garage while Jake staid down in the hanger putting together a couple of new missiles to work better against the bat-like monsters. That evening right around sundown, the alarm from Callie went off. The Deputy Mayor informed them that the Pastmaster was downtown, and trying to open one of his time portals. The two Swat Kats immediately changed into their flight suits and headed out as fast as they could.

When they arrived, they could clearly see the large swirling vortex in the dark cloud-filled sky overhead. Through the flashing purple lightning, several hundred of he bat like creatures came swarming through the portal, accompanied by about a dozen much larger beasts. The larger ones were about the size of the werewolves, their mottled black and red bodies somewhat dragon-like, but with the appearance of being highly emaciated, almost skeletal, with several rows of needle-like spikes down their dorsals and tails, and wide jaws filled with rows of oversized fangs.

As if the smaller creatures weren't bad enough, the larger ones were far more dangerous, and proved far more difficult to deal with their powerful claws able to rend steel and stone, taking minimal damage from the Swat Kat's missiles that were more easily able to deal with the hoards of smaller monsters. Once again however, the pair of werewolves showed up, and began fighting the larger monsters, which seemed to be strangely attracted to the wolves.

Again the Swat Kats could see that the winged creatures greatly outnumbered the werewolves, but with Razor's new missiles, which opened to release a very large spread of smaller metal spikes, they were able to even out the odds a bit more, at least when it came to the smaller beasts. This time, the wolves didn't try to flee from the jet and missiles, seeming to recognize that they were now getting help against the multitude of horrid creatures.

The problem with the larger creatures though, was that they weren't just flying around damaging whatever they passed by, but were also landing, and many were actually seeking out and attacking kats on the ground. The Enforcers still were unable to deal with the monsters, many of them being injured and some even killed, a large number of their choppers and cruisers destroyed.

Razor spotted two of the larger monsters heading down into the subway, and had T-Bone take the jet in low so that he could take the cyclotron in after them. By the time he caught up with the monsters though in the tunnels, they had already wrecked a subway car, the mutilated bodies of most of the passengers scattered about in a bloody mess among the shredded metal and sparking wires.

Razor did his best to ignore the horrid sight, focusing on stopping the two monsters before they could kill again. He fired one of the cyclotron's missiles, hitting one of the beasts and actually doing enough damage to at least incapacitate it for the time being, but the second one lunged forward too fast for him to fully react. It slammed into him with such force that Razor was sent flying into the stone wall of the tunnel, the cyclotron damaged beyond use.

The beast lunged again, but thankfully Razor had just enough time to roll out of the way as it's 8" claws slashed deep gashed right into the concrete wall. It turned and swiped at him again, but before it's claws could connect, it's wrist was grabbed and stopped by a massive white-furred paw. Razor looked up in shock to see the two-toned werewolf standing over him, snarling fiercely at the monster, gripping it's wrist in a powerful grasp.

Razor ducked out of the way as the monster hissed fiercely and slashed at the werewolf with it's other hand. The wolf dodged back, though still took a deep claw wound in it's left shoulder. It howled out in pain and fury, lunging forward and attacking the monster viciously with claws and fangs. The Swat Kat watched on in stunned silence at the werewolf literally ripped the monster apart, having already done so to the other one while the first was occupied with the kat.

Splattered in the beasts' black blood, the werewolf then turned and glanced at Razor for a brief moment, it's eyes glowing deep red, then turned and bolted quickly off back down the tunnel. Razor decided that this could be the best time to test his theory, and yells out at the retreating wolf. "Star!"

She stopped and looked back at him with her crimson eyes. Razor gasped at the realization. "It is you..."

He then heard her voice echoing in his mind.

_~Whatever you think you know, you don't even know the half of it. Stay out of this, Jake, before you get yourself killed.~_

She then turned and disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel.


	6. Chapter 6

Around mid-morning, Elena opened the door to the motel room curiously when she heard the knock, The she-kat was clearly surprised and confused to see Chance and Jake both standing there. And even more-so when the tabby looked at her with cold eyes. "We have to talk, Elena."

"Chance? What's wrong? What is this all about?"

"Werewolves..."

She put her ears back. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Chance. Now please leave before..."

"Let them in, Elena."

The chocolate-furred she-kat turned to look curiously at Star, who was walking out of the small bathroom with a bandage over her left arm and shoulder. The same place where Jake had seen her, in her werewolf form, take a deep wound from the massive beast in the subway tunnels the night nods slowly and steps back, letting the two mechanics inside, then closed and locked the door again behind them.

Star walked back over to her bed and sat down, leaning back against the headboard and folding her knees up, wearing only a small red halter top and dark red shorts. The small table had been moved back to it's orriginal place near the front window, now having been cleared of all the spell components and chalk. Elena, in her black sleeveless shirt and denim jeans, leaned against the wall opposite Star's bed with her arms folded over her chest. Both of the toms stood a bit in front of and between them, still near the door.

"So, care to explain just what's going on around here?"

The red-eyed female nodded slowly. "Apparently you've already figured out what we are."

"Werewolves."

"Basically, yes. We're immortal shape-changers who can take the form of massive wolf-like beasts, as well as larger versions of real wolves."

"And what are those other things that the Pastmaster summoned up?"

"Demons."

Both of the guys looked slightly surprised at that. "Demons?"

"Yes. Lesser demons."

"What about the bigger ones?"

"Also lesser demons."

"Didn't seem so 'lesser' to me."

"They were. What the evil little gnome is trying to summon forth is much larger and far more powerful."

"And how exactly do you know this?"

"Because we're here to stop him."

"Uh huh. And how do you plan to do that?"

"The same way we did a thousand years ago."

Both of the toms jaws dropped in surprise. "Just how old ARE you?!"

Elena's face was completely expressionless. Star just gave a faint smirk. "I've seen over two thousand years. Elena here has been what she is for about twelve hundred years now."

Jake and Chance were both completely taken aback by that news. That meant that both of the she-kats were older even than the Pastmaster himself, Star more than twice as much. Jake shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts. "Okay, so if you are... immortal... how did you stop the Pastmaster from calling this demon up a thousand years ago?"

Star sighed, looking down as she spoke, her eyes distant and unfocused. "Every one thousand years, a portal tries to open from the realm known as Malfeas."

Chance raised one eyebrow curiously. "Malfeas?"

Now Elena spoke, her tone toneless, almost cold. "Also known as Hades, Duat, the Underworld, or Hell... among other things."

Star nodded. "The land of demons and of lost souls, where the spirits of the damned remain in eternal torment for their sins."

The tabby sighed and ran a paw down his face. "Great..."

"Demons pass through it into our world. It has already begun, as you've seen. In two more days, there will be a complete solar eclipse. You won't see it because of the dark clouds, but you will see the sky turn red and everything grow as dark as midnight save for the Hellish glow. When that happens, we must be in the temple of Awawn, and I must perform the ritual to close the gate for another thousand years, before the Demon Lord can come through."

"Who's Arawn?"

"An ancient God of death, terror, revenge, and war. Long forgotten in modern times, he is said to be the ruler of Malfeas."

"So, basically he's the Devil?"

"In a sence."

"Okay, so where is this temple and how do we do this ritual?"

Star looked up with her crimson eyes narrowed and her ears pinned back. " 'We' don't, Only I can find the temple, and only I can perform the ritual. You two will stay out of it."

Chance shook his head. "No way. We've faced and defeated that little troll before, along with various other major threats to this city. Even a Volcano God once."

"Perhaps, but nothing of this world could possibly equal the power of the Demon Lord that he plans to summon, using an ancient artifact not even of this world that he believes he can use to control it."

"So we take and/or destroy this artifact. Been there, done that."

"It's not that simple. First off, it can't be destroyed. Second, if it's taken, then no-one can control any of the demons, and they will be free to wreak destruction upon this world."

"Great... So then how do we stop it?"

"As I said, the only way to stop it is to close the portal before Arawn can come through."

Jake sighed and shook his head. "Okay, so if you're the only one who can do this ritual, what about Elena?"

"Elena doesn't have the magic required to perform the ritual. So she fights the lesser demons that come through first to try and stop me."

"Doesn't have the magic?"

"Right. She wasn't born as we are now. She was actually born a mortal kat." Star sighed and glanced over at her friend, who was still leaning against the wall, her arms folded and ears back, looking down. When Elena gave no sign of not wanting to hear the story again, Star continued.

Twelve hundred years ago, Elena gave her own life to save mine, even though she didn't even know me then. Rather than letting her die, I turned her instead. It was the only way to save her life, though it also meant she now has to share my curse. We've been together ever since."

Jake's ears went back as he realized something. "Wait a minute... Exactly how does one get turned into a werewolf? Because..."

Star couldn't help but laugh softly at the look on his face, knowing just what it was he was referring to. "Don't worry. Simply being bitten isn't enough to cause someone to change. That's just for kitten's stories. No, the actual ritual is more involved."

Jake sighed in a bit of relief, since he still had multiple bite and claw marks on his body from two nights ago when he and Chance had spent time with the girls in the back room of the club. Elena though now spoke up, her voice still soft and somewhat cold.

"But it does carry a curse as well, as Star mentioned. We're not exactly 'immortal', because we can be killed. We simply do not age, nor do we die of old age. Despite the fact that many would claim immortality to be the ultimate 'gift', it's a curse rather than a blessing to have to watch everyone around you slowly grow old and die while you remain young and unchanged. Were it not for Star's constant companionship, I would have ended my own life long ago."

The two toms glanced at each other, then back to the girls. Jake looked from Elena to Star. "So if you turned Elena, then how did you become a werewolf?"

"I was born this way. But I'm not a true werewolf, either."

"Then what are you?"

She sighed and looked back down sadly. "My mother was a werewolf, but my sire was a demon, much like the one that the Pastmaster hopes to summon forth from the portal. That's how I gained my magic, as well as my knowledge of the ritual needed to close the portal, and the power to do so."

Both the guys gasped in shock. "You're half demon?!"

"Yes. It's why those creatures are drawn to me. Because of my mixed blood. And why the portal drew me here as well. I can feel it calling to me."

Chance shook his head. "Okay... But this is our city, and we are NOT going to let a bunch of demons run rampant in it. Maybe we can't help you with the ritual, but we can at least help to get rid of these lesser demons."

"I told you, it's too dangerous for mortals."

"Look wolfy, in case you haven't noticed, we've already toasted far more of those things than you two did. We have a lot more 'toys' than most mortals do, and the experience to deal with stuff like this. As I said, we've defeated the Pastmaster several times before. We know how to deal with that little troll."

Star looked up at him with her ears pinned, but she could see that there was no way she was going to be able to talk them out of this. She also had to admit, they did to one Hell of a job taking out the lesser demons the past few nights.

"Alright. But when the portal starts to open, it is literally going to be Hell on Earth. Most of the lesser demons will be coming from the portal in the sky overhead where the Pastmaster will be trying to summon the Demon Lord. You two can deal with that, while we handle the real gate in the temple itself."

The guys could also see that there was no way they were going to convince the two female werewolves to reveal the location of the supposed temple, but they also agrees that dealing with the demons attacking the city itself and it's populace might be the more important job for them anyway.

After that, no-one said anything for several more long moments. Chance finally came out and asked the other question that had been on his mind. He asked the girls why they had originally taken such an interest in him and Jake in the first place. To this, Elena finally allowed herself a soft smirk, her voice softening a bit.

"Well, to be honest, that was my idea. I found you to be quite attractive from the start."

Chance gave her a wry smile, then walked up to her and put an arm around her waist, pulling her against him and kissing her. Elena's eyes went wide in surprise and she instinctivly tried to pull away, but then quickly relented and returned the kiss deeply, putting her own arms around him as well.

As if they had completely forgotten about the other two in the room, it took barely even a minute for the two kats to fully undress each other and end up on Elena's bed, the she-kat laying on her back with Chance on top of her, trailing passionate kisses and licks over her lips, chin, neck, and shoulders. Elena then gasped as she felt the tom enter her, moving gently but firmly against her while she ran her own clawed fingertips slowly over his shoulders and back, tracing thin lines in his golden fur.

Jake watched them for a moment then just shook his head, looking back at Star. The red-eyed female was still just sitting on her bed, her arms folded over her knees which were pulled up against her chest, and her eyes turned downward, not really paying attention to anything. It was clear to the smaller tom that night now, her focus was simply on what was to come, and a dark knowledge that only she seemed to possess.

The cinnamon tom sighed and sat on the edge of her bed, removing his boots and setting them aside before moving further up to sit net to her against the headboard. A single ear flick was the only acknowledgment she gave to his presence. However, the scent and sounds of the other pair on the second bed just a few feet away from them were already strong in the room. And though Star didn't even seem to notice, Jake could feel his own heart pounding in his chest, the combination of his partner making love to the other she-kat nearby, and the strange but enticing scent of the beautiful kat-form werewolf beside him stirring his own desire and arousal.

Remembering the dreams he had of her, as well as the first time he had actually been with her, and the way that she was so dominant and aggressive, Jake can't help but feel a strong pull toward the female. Knowing what she really was seemed to make it even worse, as he was already so used to taking risks so being so close to her seemed to give him yet another adrenaline rush from the threat of danger.

He reached over and gently but firmly lifted her chin, making her face him. Star's crimson eyes went wide in surprise when the kat, whom's she'd originally seen as shy and somewhat withdrawn, then deeply and roughly kissed her. She returned it, a bit reluctant at first, but then just as strongly, only to receive another surprise when he bit her lip, the female noticing the odd metallic taste of her own blood in her mouth.

The taste of blood, even her own, triggered something in the female werewolf, and she found that her own hunger for him was now even stronger as she quickly and roughly began to undress him, pressing her lithe body against his. This time though, Jake was ready, knowing more of what to expect of her, and turned the tables on the dominant female. He allowed her to remove his clothing, but then roughly did the same to her, before shoving her down onto the bed and flipping her onto her stomach. At first, Star didn't know what to think, but before she could react again the lean male pressed his athletic body down against her back, gripping onto her hips with his claws digging into her flesh and biting down onto her scruff as he forcefully mounted her.

After being so used to always being the dominant one, Jake's sudden aggressiveness with Star both surprised and exited her. The pain of where his claws dug into her hips and the feel of his teeth in the scruff of her neck both added to the pleasure of his roughly taking her. She hissed and moaned loudly in both pleasure and pain, fully enjoying every moment of it.

Jake and Star both wore out much faster than Chance and Elena, who were being far more gentle and passionate with each other. Panting heavily, Star laid on her stomach, folding her arms under her head as she took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly in a sigh of contentment, her own wounds from where Jake had repeatedly bit and clawed her already healing over.

Jake smiled as he laid down somewhat on top of her, panting hard and soaked in sweat, with some tinges of red from Star's blood smeared against his own pelt, noting the strange taste of the werewolf's blood in his mouth. Ke kissed her neck gently, then closed his eyes and slowly passed out, enjoying the feel of her firm warm body beneath him.


	7. Chapter 7

Several hours later, Star slowly began to wake up back up. Opening her eyes a bit, she looked over at the other bed where Chance and Elena were, still sleeping. Elena was on her side with Chance laying on his behind her, one arm draped over her side. The red-eyed female yawned, looking at the clock to see that it was now mid-afternoon. A slight shift though woke up the tom still laying against her.

Jake opened his eyes and smiled gently , kissing the back of her neck. Star purred softly, rolling over to face him and nuzzling up against him. Jake murred in response, holding her closer to him, though there was still something else that bothered him, other than the dangers they would all soon face.

"When this is all over, what will you do?"

"The same thing Elena and I always do. Leave."

"But why?"

"We're loners. Nomads. We have no pack, and no 'territory' as most werewolves do. Instead, we go wherever the winds take us."

"You've never thought to find a place to star? To call home?"

"This world is changing too fast. We've tried doing so before, but in the end it never works out. We're not kats, and we're not even true werewolves. Normal werewolves are still mortal, and can live somewhat normal lives if they choose to. But because of my demon blood preventing us from aging, that is not possible for us."

"And yet, each place you go, you do this... You've never thought to actually stay with those you seduce?"

"We've tried. I've even allowed myself the possibility of love a few times. But in the end, it's just not possible."

"What if I told you that it could be possible? That I wanted you to stay with me?"

"We're immortal, Jake. You have no idea how hard it is to see the ones that we allow ourselves to care for to grow old and die, while we remain ageless. To not be able to have a family because we cannot breed with kats or normal werewolves. That's why we do this. And we always leave before we begin to feel any true emotions toward those we seduce."

"And leaving a trail of broken hearts in your wake."

"That's how it must be. They can never know the truth of what we are."

"But now I know. Chance and I both know what the two of you really are."

"Which is even more reason why we cannot stay. You're mortal, Jake. It's simply too dangerous for me to remain with you."

"Then make me one of you."

Star gasped softly, looking up at him in both surprise and pain. "What?"

"You did this, Star. You used your magic and your seduction to make me begin to fall for you, even in so short a time. You say that there are no others of your kind, so you cannot truly have a home or family. Then change that. Make me one of you."

"Jake, you don't know what you're asking..."

"I know that I want you with me. Chance and I are virtual outcasts here. We were kicked out of the Enforcers for something that wasn't even our fault, and forced to work in that salvage yard to scrape by while paying off a debt that has nothing to do with us simply because the jerk who caused it was the one in command. We still try to protect this city, as you've seen. To do what's right. But we have to do so from the shadows, so to speak. We have to keep who we really are a secret, just as you and Elena do. All we really have is each other's friendship. So believe me, I do know."

"Even so, immortality has it's price. You'll never be the same again. I'm half demon, and it's my blood that turned Elena into one. It would be the same for you. True werewolves don't even seem to exist anymore. We have not encountered one is several hundred years. But what we both are is both better, and worse. There is a hunger inside of us that we struggle with every day."

"A hunger?"

"We're predators, Jake. You protect this city and it's people. Can you live with yourself, having a desire to hunt, kill, and devour other kats? Kats that you've sworn to protect? Because you'll no longer be a kat yourself, but a predator..."

Now Jake was forced to more carefully consider her words, looking into her crimson eyes as he did. "How many have you two killed?"

"Far too many to even consider counting. We hunt, we kill, and we feed. Flesh and blood both. Though we try to only do so to the ones who deserve it. The ones who have committed atrocities, and yet the only punishment that modern society deems fit is to lock them being a stone wall where they still commiting crimes in secret, while those that they harmed must pay to support them. In the so-called 'darker' times, such kats were thrown to the wolves, so to speak. They were the ones that Elena and I fed upon, and still do."

"The criminals?"

"Yes."

Jake thought about that. He and Chance had always tried to capture criminals and turn them in to the authorities rather than take matters into their own paws. He didn't think that he even had it in him to kill. But at the same time, he also knew that she was right. The death penalty was very rare, and usually only happened after many years of imprisonment. In that time, it was the tax-payers who paid to fully support the growing number of inmates in the various prisons and jails, and many of those inmates lived better than most of their victims.

No more had been said on the subject for the time being. Jake knew that it was something he would have to think hard about. He desperately wanted to be with the beautiful female, and yet he also didn't know if he would be able to give up everything that he was, with the possibility of becoming an animatistic killer, hunting and feeding on other kats.

.

Toward late afternoon, the four finally got back un and redressed, preparing for yet another harsh night of dealing with the lesser demons. Outside, a strong wind had picked up and the dark clouds blocked most of the light from the setting sun, casting an eerie orange/red glow over the city. The four knew that after tonight, there would only be one more day and night until the time came and the portal began to open. Jake and Chance then headed back to the salvage yard, though the tabby noticed that his friend was strangely quiet, simply staring out the window for most of the drive back.

No sooner had the sun gone down than the trouble began. It indeed proved to be a long night for all of them. By the the Enforcers had gotten a bit better at handling the demons as well, but even Feral realized that it worked out best for everyone for them to spend more of their own effort getting the kats caught outside to safety while the Swat Kats, obviously much better equiped at handling the demons, dealt with most of their numbers from the air.

Star and Elena remained mostly hidden from view as they continued their own battles as well, dealing with most of the larger and more dangerous demons from the ground while the Enforcers and Swat Kats handling the vast hoards of flying ones from the air. It proved to be a long and difficult night, with a large number of Enforcers taking injuries and most of their choppers and jets badly damaged. Even the Turbokat took some real damage this time, and the one time that the guys did catch a glimpse of the pair of werewolves, they could see several new deep wounds and bloodstains on their pelts.


	8. Chapter 8

Though the sun was rasing higher in the late morning sky, it couldn't be seen though the dark storm clouds that cast Megakat City into deep twilight. The winds had grown even more dangerous, blowing at hurricane force as a hard rain fell to lash fiercely across the city. Many businesses closed due to the extreme storm, including the garage in the old salvage yard at the southern end of the city.

Chance and Jake spent most of the day down in the hanger, doing repairs to the Turbokat and working on making more flashbulb and spider missiles to replace the many they had used on the vast hordes of flying demons the past few nights. Jake had modified the spider missiles, calling the newer ones 'snare missiles', so that they no longer connected to the jet via a long cable, and instead of closing in on their target they instead spread out even wider, the steel mesh covered in a sticky film and numerous sharp barbs to further hinder and damage the demons.

Around noon, Chance called the phone in the girl's motel room to check on them, having seen the numerous injuries that they had taken the night before. However, when he called, the phone was instead answered by the hotel manager in the main office, who informed the tabby that the two she-kats had already checked out and left earlier that morning.

Jake's ears went back when Chance told him that the girls had left. He remembered Star telling him the day before of how she and Elena always leave before letting themselves get too involved, and now he feared that they had done just that. Both toms wondered if they would ever see the pair of shape-shifters again. But they both knew that they had to put it aside for now, and focus on preparing for what was still to come. There was still one more night before the portal was supposed to open, and for all Hell to literally break loose.

As the dim remnants of daylight began to fade, Chance looked out at the raging storm and howling winds. He knew that with a storm that fierce, most of the Enforcer choppers and jets would most likely be grounded, and even his flying skills in the Turbokat would still be a real challenge. He hoped that if there was any good to come of the gale force winds, it would make it difficult for the demons as well.

Thankfully he was right as far as the flying ones were concerned, seeing none of them at all that night. Unfortunately, they encountered new threats instead. Hundreds of small imp-like creatures and several dozen horse-sized beasts resembling emaciated panthers or wolves with no true skin, spines down their backs and writhing tentacles coming from the burnt black muscles of their sides were wreaking havoc on the streets below. Razor had to use the cyclotron to deal with the beasts on the ground more than he helped from the jet.

The Enforcers were mostly grounded, their choppers unable to cope with the fierce storm. Unfortunately the rain flooded many of the streets as well, so that they also had a very difficult time with their ground units. This time though, the demons weren't spread out across the city, but centered in a ten square mile radius on the western side of the city.

The entire night proved to be very long and difficult for everyone involved, though not once was there any sign of the Pastmaster, or of the two werewolves. It was nearing 3am when the Turbokat finally returned to the hanger. The two Swat Kats were quite exhausted, but knew that they still had work to do in preparation, since the actual event that all of this chaos was leading up to was supposed to happen at mid-day, less than 10 hours away now. They didn't know if they'd be able to continue using the jet though if the storm continued to worsen, and worried about what would happen on the ground when the portal did finally open.

It was a little after 8am when the pair finally managed to rest a bit, hoping to get at least a few hours of sleep. No longer under the influence of the werewolves' spell, Chance's sleep was dreamless. Jake's however way not. In his mind he saw Star, though it was nothing like the dreams that she had previously created for him. The slim tom tossed restlessly in his sleep as the dream continued.

**.**

_Star was in her werewolf form, knelt down in the center of a pentagram carved into the floor of a massive, elaborate stone temple. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all carved of reddish-gold stone, and in front of her a pair of giant stone doors stood open, a Hellish red glow emanating from within them. The portal to Malfeas had opened._

_Dozens of the smaller bat-like demons flew from the portal, swirling around the werewolf and attacking her with thier claws and spiked tails. Star's pelt was slick and matted down with her own blood from many gashes covering her body, but still she continued trying to cast her spell to close the portal again, ignoring the beasts that swarmed around her trying to stop her._

_Then a massive form began to emerge from the portal. An enormous cloven hoof stepped out, , followed by a second as the monster stepped through into the mortal world. His size was emensce, nearly as large at the Kachu Pichu mummies had been. Te beast's form resembled that of a werewolf, with pitch black fur covered over from head to hoofed feet in strange ash-grey glyphs. His eyes glowed a deep red, his claws extremely long and shiny black, and from his head protruded a pair of massive black ram's horns that curled around behind and under his lupine ears._

_Blood pooled on the stone floor around Star, who was now growing very weak from the damage and bloodloss at the claws of the lesser demons. Arawn laughed, a deep bone-shattering sound that resonated throughout the entire stone temple. "Cease your chanting, daughter. It is too late. You have failed this time."_

_Kneeled down on the floor, Star's breath came in ragged gasps, yet she still defied the demon lord. "N... never... I'll... send you back... to Hell... where you belong..."_

_"That is where you'll find yourself if you do not give up now. Your blood stains the floor of my temple, and it's very essence feeds me. Join with me, as you should have long ago. Or suffer for all eternity in Malfeas."_

_"No!"_

_The massive demon was now fully out of the portal. A strong wind whipped through the temple, and the lesser demons swarmed around him on it's currents like thousands of bats. The beast towered above the smaller female now on her hands and knees, back in her she-kat form and fighting just to remain conscious._

_"Then die, my daughter. Your time on this world is over. And mine now begins."_

_He raised his hands high, and the long black claws began to glow with a dark unnatural light. The deadly energy then shot down from then like bolts of lightning into the she-kat Star screamed out in pure agony as she collapsed onto the ground in the pool of her own blood. As the dark power surged through her body, her fur was charred completely off, her skin blackened. Moments later, her screaming fell away to silence as her body crumbled to ash._

_The demon lord laughed, his soul-less voice echoing beyond the temple to carry across the entire city as the ground began to tremble and quake, shaking the many huge skyscrapers to their very foundations as the storm continued to rage even more deadly than ever before._

**.**

"NOOOO!"

Jake shot straight up in bed, his heart pounding in his chest, his breathing fast and heavy. His fur was completely matted down with sweat as he stared wide-eyed straight ahead of him, focusing on nothing but the images he had seen in his mind. A moment later, Chance ran in wearing only a pair of boxers, having been awoken from his own sleep by his friend's scream.

"Jake! What happened?!"

It took the smaller tom several moments to catch his breath enough to speak, his voice and body both still trembling in shock and fear. He explained to Chance the best he could of what he had seen in his dream. Of the temple, and the demon lord Arawn coming out of the portal, killing Star and beginning to lay waste to the city with storm and earthquake.

Chance sighed and did his best to assure his friend that it was only a nightmare, and that things wouldn't happen that way.

"Star isn't alone. Elena will be with her to help fight the demons that come out of the portal. We'll take care of the ones above ground, and they'll stop the ones in that temple, wherever it is."

Jake still wasn't convinced though, insisting that somehow they needed to find that temple. To be able to help. The tabby tried to convince him otherwise, but knew inside that Jake was partly right, and that the smaller tom wouldn't give up either.


	9. Chapter 9

The Swat Kats headed back out at around 11am, after barely 2 hours of sleep. They were worried about how difficult the storms would make things, but were surprised to find that the storm had actually lessened, making flying easier. Even so, the sky had grown even darker, as if night were approaching rather than noon.

There was still no sign of the werewolves or the Pastmaster, but every available Enforcer was now out trying to fight against the massive swarm of demons. A Military Alert had been issued, and all of Megakat City's residents were told to stay indoors. Not even the other omegas dared to try anything against the storm and the multitude of demons.

The Swat Kats found that they certainly had their paws full this time, there being far more demons than at any time previously, and it wasnt long before they were again out of missiles, having to rely on their lasers and T-Bone's flying skills. Suddenly Razor seemed to get a sharp feeling that caused the fur on the back of his neck to stand on end. "T-Bone, break off! We need to head west!"

"What? Why?"

"Just trust me. I can't explain it, but that's where we need to go."

"If you say so..."

Trusting his partner's instincts, the burly pilot broke off his arial dogfight with several of the larger flying demons and headed toward the west on all three engines. Razor really couldn't give him any accurate coordinates on where to go, because he really had no idea himself. All he knew was that he sensed something, and it was from that direction.

Suddenly he felt a pull down below them, and directed T-Bone to land the jet in an older, more run-down area of the western side of the city. There was a subway entrance nearby, and as soon as the jet touched down, the smaller Swat Kat jumped out and dashed toward it. T-Bone yelled at him to wait, then muttered a curse under his breath as he shut off the engines before quickly jumping out as well and running after his partner.

Once they got down to the main subway platform, they found the place to be in complete chaos, the subway train overturned on it's tracks, and a multitude of smaller types of demons, many they had not yet seen before, destroying everything. The two were forced to use the shields on their glovatix's to basically batter their way through and head down into the tunnels.

After about fifty yards, they came to a service door. It was locked, but one good kick from Razor easily took care of that problem. With massive city-wide power outages from both the storm and the destructive demons, there were no lights to see with, the underground area being pitch black, so the pair had to rely on the lights of their helmets to see where they were going. Oddly though, none of the smaller demons followed them as they entered into the smaller tunnel behind the door.

After about a hundred or so yards, the tunnel came to a small empty room with a few surge boxes and some dusty crates of old electrical equipment. T-Bone looked around at the seemingly dead end. "Great. Now what?"

Razor ignored him and ran his hands over the back wall of the room for a minute, as if feeling for something. T-Bone was unsure of what his partner was up to, but knew that Razor was good at noticing things that most other kats missed. The smaller tom's claw tips eventually caught on a tiny seam in the stone. Pressing his hand into that spot, a small brick-sized section gave way, pushing back into the rest of the wall. A faint rumbling sound followed and Razor backed up a few steps as a hidden door in the wall slowly slid open.

T-Bone gasped in surprise. "What the... How'd you know about that being there?"

"I don't know. I just did."

The two quickly but cautiously followed the new tunnel downward, headling even deeper underground. It was filled with cobwebs, but the webs were broken down the center, as if someone, or something, had also been that way very recently. T-Bone checked the time on his glovatrix. Only about 15 minutes till noon.

Deeper in, they began to see a soft reddish light from up ahead. Shutting off the lights on their helmets, they continued on, following the source of the light, ready for just about anything. When they reached the end of the tunnel, they saw that it opened up to a massive room made of red-gold stone. Razor gasped, as the temple was exactly as he had seen it in his dream only a few hours before.

Knelt down in the center of the temple, within a pentagram painted in what appeared to be blood on the stone floor, was Star in her kat form. She wore dark red silks with gold chains, and her soft fur was stained deep red with her own blood. The bat-like demons swarmed about her, but she ignored them as she chanted, obviously casting her spell to close the portal.

Nearby, just outside of the painted pentagram, Elena was in her massive werewolf form, her eyes glowing green as she worked to fight off the demons, keeping them away from Star. But rather than using her claws and fangs, she instead was using an intricate sword, large enough to be wielded with her werewolf paws, the blade glowing a deep blue.

Star's eyes were closed as she continued to chant in a strange and obviously ancient language. The red glow they had seen in the tunnel seemed to be radiating from everywhere, pulsating as if the very walls were alive. As she continued her casting, fully ignoring the swirling demons and multitude of gashes that caused her blood to soak into her fur and drip to the floor beneath her, the pentagram symbol began to glow, and almost seemed to form a shield around her, blocking away the demons.

Elena continued fighting away the demons, which now seemed reluctant to pass the glowing pentagram to get to the she-kat within it. The brown-furred werewolf also never once touched or stepped inside the symbol painted on the floor.

T-Bone and Razor both aimed their glovatrix's, preparing to fire their mini turbo-blades at the demons to help the pair of shifters out, when a familiar voice echoing from their right caught their attention. All four looked up to see the Pastmaster standing atop of what appeared to be a massive set of stone doors, looking down at the two females. "Foolish beasts! You'll never finish in time! It is time for the doors to open!"

He held up what the guys at first thought was his watch, but was in fact an amulet of black metal with a blood red stone in the center of it. The amulet glowed a bright red, and as it did, a crease of deep red light formed in the center of the doors, slowly beginning to spread wider.

Star ignored the small skeletal kat, continuing her spell. Elena snarled, but was too busy dealing with the demons to do anything. However, both of the females, as well as the Pastmaster, got a surprise at hearing another familiar voice from the tunnel entrance.

"Wrong, Pastmaster! You still haven't learned that you can't win here!"

The sorcerer looked down in shock and hatred at seeing T-Bone and Razor with their glovatrix's aimed at him. "The Swat Kats?! Impossible! How did you pests get here?!"

Star and Elena were also obviously surprised, but didn't let the guys' sudden appearance distract them from what they had to do. The toms fired at Pastmaster, but he jumped out of the way, their mini-octopus missiles barely missing him. He snarled, and held up the amulet, which glowed even more brightly. Suddenly a group of the demons broke off from the werewolves and flew toward the Swat Kats, who were more than ready to deal with the creatures.

Despite the Pastmaster's apparent control of the demons, the added help of T-Bone and Razor began to slowly turn the tide against the beasts, allowing Star to put more concentration into her spell without so many of them trying to attack her now. Seeing this, the Pastmaster snarled hatefully. "No! I will not be defeated this time!"

He held up the amulet again, another bright flash emanating from it. From out of the slowly widening portal flew another group of demons. Five were the larger beasts, while the sixth was larger still, it's form somewhat dragon-like. While the first five attacked T-Bone, Razor, and Elena, the largest one headed straight for Star.

Unable to get away from the others they were fighting long enough, Elena and the guys could do nothing to help Star against the dragon-like beast. However, just before it's jaws could close on the blood-soaked she-kat, the pentagram suddenly glowed a bright red. The demon's jaws slammed down onto a glowing shield around Star, which let out a bright flash of light. It shrieked loudly in pain for a moment before it's serpentine body exploded, throwing everyone, werewolf, kat, and demon alike, against the walls from the force of the strong blast.

There was one benefit to the demon's sudden explosion though, as it seemed to kill most of the other lesser demons as well. Elena and the Swat Kats slowly got back up, then looked around for Star. They saw her still in the center of the pentagram, though now she was laying face-down, having been apparently knocked unconscious by the force of the blast.

To make matters worse, this obviously had broken the spell she had been casting, and now the doorway was nearly fully open. A massive black-furred hand with extremely long obsidian claws reached through and gripped one of the edges of the stone doors. The hand gripped onto the stone, and a huge black cloven hoof stepped out. Razor gasped in shock and fear at seeing the beast from his dream slowly emerge from the portal. Though not quite as massive as he had been in the dream, Arawn was still huge, far larger than Star and Elena's werewolf forms. The wolf-like monster looked down at them, his eyes glowing deep red, and grinned.


	10. Chapter 10

From his perch over the now fully open doors, the Pastmaster laughed wickedly as the huge wolf demon stepped completely out of the portal. He held up the glowing amulet as he looked at the demon. "Now! Obey me, beast! Destroy the Swat Kats! Then you shall help me to take over this wretched world!"

Arawn turned to look at him, his ears turned back. The demon lord spoke in a deep resonating voice that echoed throughout the entire temple, seeming to make the walls tremble. "Your trinket may allow you to control my minions, but it has no effect on me, sorcerer."

The demon reached out and grabbed the Pastmaster with a large clawed hand. The skeletal sorcerer yelled out in surprise and anger, accidentally dropping the amulet as he did so. He struggled to reach his watch, but before being able to do so, the demon lord threw him though the portal, the sorcerer screaming out as he vanished though the hellish glow.

Star groaned and shook her head, slowly getting back up as the demon now turned his attention back to her. "You've failed this time. The portal is open and now my time to rule this world has come again."

The she-kat snarled hatefully, shifting up to her werewolf form. "No... I can still stop you..."

"It's over, cub. Embrace your demon blood and stop fighting what you truly are."

Star pinned her ears, snarling fiercely, a soft red glow in her eyes. Elena had also gotten back to her feet and was moving forward, holding her sword ready with it's blade still glowing brightly. After everything that they had dealt with before in defending their city, the Swat Kats were also more than ready to help the werewolves against the huge demon as they also stood and prepared for the fight that was obviously about to come.

Elena and Star glanced at each other and exchanged nods, then they both attacked. T-Bone and Razor did so as well, both firing the mini turbo-blades from their glovatrix's. The blades seemed to have no effect on the huge demon, merely bouncing off his hide, and the beast completely ignored them. The demon countered the werewolves' attacks, first knocking Star back against a pillar, then slashing at Elena, leaving a deep pair of gashes from her left shoulder down to her right hip. The guys fired again, this time T-Bone using the mini buzz-saws while Razor fired the tarpedos. The demon simply knocked the saws away, but the tay hit him full in the face. He roared out hatefully as he wiped it away. "Foolish pests! You have no chance against me!"

Arawn then lunged, slashing with incredible speed. T-Bone was his hard by the demon's massive fist, getting thrown back several yards into the wall with such force that it cracked the stone, breaking several smaller chunks off beneath him. Razor tried to dodge out of the way, but was snatched up by his torso in one massive paw. He hissed as he tried to struggle loose, but the demon constricted his grip, trying to crush him. Star gasped as she looked up and saw it. "Let him go!"

"Why? What do you care for mortals? They are nothing to us."

Elena and T-Bone both struggled to get up, but both of them were in serious pain from the demon's powerful attacks. Star snarled as she got up and walked forward again, back into the center of the pentagram. The demon watched her curiously. "It's too late, cub. The portal is open."

"I know..."

Star suddenly cried out and dropped to one knee and doubled over, grabbing her gut as if in pain. The pentagram around her began to glow bright red again, and the glow spread up to cover her entire body. The demon lord raised an eyebrow curiously at this as he watched. T-Bone looked over to where Elena was still crouched by the wall, blood dripping from the pair of gashed caused by the demon and spreading to stain her pelt a deep red.

"What is she doing?"

"I... I don't know..."

The others watched on in surprise as Star's body began to grow and change. Her form became far larger, almost as large as the demon lord himself. Her claws became long and daggerlike, her fur coarser. Her white mane turned blood red, as did most of the rest of the white coloration on her body, the actual blood staining her pelt seeming to dry out and crumble away. A pair of deep red spiraled horns then grew from her head just in front of her ears, curing up and back around them. Arawn narrowed his eyes coldly, but then gave a dark grin.

"Well, it seems that you've finally embraced your demon blood afterall, daughter. And what brought this on?"

Elena's and T-Bone's jaws both hit the floor at the demon's words. "Daughter?!"

Only Razor didn't seem surprised at hearing this, though even so, seeing his lover's sudden dark change was still quite a shock to him. Star's eyes now glowed brightly with a Hellish fire, and as she spoke, her voice was somewhat deeper, and filled with cruel malice. "Do not call me that..."

"But it's true. My blood flows within your veins. Though sadly it is diluted with werewolf blood."

"You killed my mother!"

"Her soul was mine to take. She lives on in Malfeas, where you belong."

"Never!"

Star howled out and lunged at the black-furred demon, red claws ready to rip and slash. Arawn grinned and tossed Razor aside, ready to counter attack. However, Star's attack had been a mock one. As soon as her father released Razor, she pivoted, avoiding the larger demon's own attack and grabbing the Swat Kat before he hit the wall, jumping back out of the way. Razor struggled to catch his breath, hissing in pain as he could feel that several of his ribs were cracked and possibly pressing against his lungs from the demon lord trying to crush him. Arawn glared hatefully. "For a mortal?"

Star cradled Razor protectively in her arms as she backed away. "More than that..."

The demon growled softly, but then sniffed the air, trying to notice the scent of Razor's blood. His ears pricked curiously when he caught it. "Well, I knew you had changed the girl, but I did not realize that he had tasted your blood as well."

Star pinned her ears. "It was an accident that I should never have let happen..."

She set him down gently next to T-Bone, Razor groaning in pain as his partner looked at him and the female demon-werewolf with a shocked expression. "What the Hell is he talking about?!"

"I'll... explain... later..." Razor barely managed to groan the words out though the pain in his sides and chest. Star ignored the question as she stood back up and turned to again face the demon lord coldly.

"Regardless, the only thing that matters now, is sending you back to Hell!"

She lunged again, this time for a true attack. The demon snarled and met her attack, slashing back with his own long claws. The pair of demon wolves fought viciously, slashing and biting with claws and fangs as around them the entire temple now began to quake. Elena gasped and struggled back up, moving quickly over to the pair of Swat Kats. "Come on! We've got to get out of here!"

Razor winced in pain as the werewolf pulled him up to his feel. "What about Star?"

"There's nothing else we can do! The entire temple is starting to collapse!"

She and T-Bone helped Razor as the three ran for the tunnel entrance. Razor stopped and leaned against the wall, looking back at the pair of battling demons. He barely even recognized Star now, her form more similar to her father's as she fought viciously, her eyes burning with fiery hatred. The Swat Kat was about to call out to her, when he suddenly heard her voice in his head.

~There's nothing any of you can do now. I alone must stop him. I'm the only one with the strength to do so. It's the only way now. Go, Jake. I'm sorry.~

He didn't want to leave her, but suddenly he had to move aside, partially pulled out of the way by Elena as a large chunk of glowing stone fell from the ceiling and crashed down where he had been only moments before, shattering against the floor. Everywhere large stones were falling loose and the pillars were beginning to topple. T-Bone yelled at him from further up the tunnel to hurry. With one last glance at his lover, Razor turned and made his way as quickly as he could, helped by Elena, back up the sloping tunnel.

The three rain as fast as they could despite their painful injuries, all the while fighting not to get knocked off their feet as the ground continued to tremble and quake all around them. They had nearly made it back to the small store room at the end of the service tunnel that led back out to the subway, when they suddenly heard a deafening rumbling sound from behind him, followed by a thick cloud of dust that blew against them with such force that it threw them down to the floor. They all knew that the temple had fully collapsed behind them, with Star still in it.

As they slowly got back up to their feet, Elena shifted painfully back to her own kat form, her sword seeming to shrink to remain in proportion to her size. It's glow faded away as she returned the blade to it's sheath at her hip. Razor looked back down the tunnel. "Do... do you think she...?"

Elena just shook her head, then turned and continued into the service tunnel heading back out the way they had originally came. T-Bone put a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder. "Come on, buddy. Let's just get out of here."

When they reached the subway platform, they could see the demons all screaming out, as if in agony, their bodies seeming to burn to ash from the inside. It was the same when they came back out of the subway to the streets above. All around the demons were burning away, their bodies crumbling to piles of ash that were getting blown away on the rapidly decreasing wind. In the sky above, the dark clouds were beginning to part, bright shafts of mid-day sunlight breaking through to show the vast amount of destruction that had befallen the city. It would take a long time to repair the damage, but at least it seemed that the city was once again safe. They had done it. Or rather, Star had, though it cost her dearly.

The trio made their way back over to the Turbokat, Elena getting into the cockpit behind Razor. As T-Bone lifted the jet back into the air, they were able to see the true extent of what had happened. Not too far away, a large section of the ground had fully caved in on itself, the old buildings on the street above having collapsed into the sink hole. The temple had been destroyed, and with it the gateway to Malfeas. Whatever Star had done in facing her father, had sealed off the gate and destroyed the hoards of demons that had come through. But apparently at the cost of her own life.


	11. Chapter 11

The storm, earthquakes, and vast hoards of destructive demons have left the city in near ruins, as well as caused some damage at the salvage yard. Many of the large piles of scrap metal had collapsed. Though it was difficult work to clean up, it also gave the guys an excuse as to how they had obtained their injuries.

With the loss of Star, Elena didn't really have anyone else, or anyplace to go, and so Chance and Jake offered to let her stay with them. At first she was reluctant, but rather than spend the next who knew how many decades on her own, she eventually agreed. All three of them were feeling Star's loss, especially Elena and Jake, and were able to at least take some comfort in each other.

Over the next three months, things in Megakat City had remained somewhat quiet after all Hell literally breaking loose. Even the omegas and more common criminals laid low for a while. Elena's wounds of course healed quite quickly due to what she was, but they also noticed that Jake's had healed somewhat faster than they should have as well. Elena explained that due to Jake accidentally ingesting some of Star's blood during his rough sex with her, it made him part demon as well, just as Elena was. It was not enough however to turn him immortal, or into a werewolf. What it did mean though, was that he was no longer a 'normal' kat, and his life would be extended, by a few decades or possibly as long as few centuries. Either way, unless something happened, he would certainly outlive Chance, and everyone else that he knew.

Elena proved to be a big help around the garage and in the hanger, since she was good at building and fixing things, as well as with computers. She and Jake began work on a new supercomputer, the Megacomp, which they hoped could aid the Swat Kats in the future with tracking down criminals and adding increased sensors and guiding systems to the Turbokat and other vehicles.

Chance was also completely falling for Elena, and the female werewolf found that she did greatly care for the tabby as well, despite her trying not to. Eventually she gave up trying to fight her own feelings. She knew that she would eventually outlive him, forced to watch him grow old and die while she remained young, never able to have a family with him, but after Star's death, she didn't really seem to care. Her growing love for Chance kept her going, and for a while she forgot her immortality, taking on a more 'normal' life with the Swat Kats.

Jake however continued to dream of Star nearly every night. Most of the time it was horrid nightmares, reliving what had happened that night in the demon lord's temple. As time passed however, the dreams began becoming more enjoyable ones of the time he had spent with her beforehand. He began to realize that actually had fallen in love with her, and would have given anything to be able to bring her back.

The temple area itself had been quarantined off by the Enforcers for most of that time, though in the past 2 weeks they had opening it up to Dr Sinian and her research team for excavation and research. Jake constantly checked the news updates on the dig, fearful of what may be found buried under the rubble. Now, after just over 3 months since that terrible night, Jake slept restlessly as another dream came to him, this one different than the others he had been having.

**.**

_The Swat Kat stood on the roof of a 2-story building, looking down at the sink hole where the temple had collapsed. It was late at night, with the full moon casting a haunting glow over the city, the area around the ruins eerily silent since the dig crews had all left for the night and no-one else dared to approached the accursed area._

_Razor knelt at the edge of the roof, scanning over the rubble until he saw what had drawn him there: a soft red glow emanating from beneath the stones. Despite the height, the Swat Kat jumped down, landing easily on the street below. A few yards before he reached the source of the glow, an apparition began to form above it._

_Razor gasped at seeing Star in her kat form, her body as insubstantial as a ghost. She wore the same red and gold silks that she had worn in the temple, her phantom-like body covered in innumerable bloody gashes. The Swat Kat just stood there staring, not knowing how to react seeing his lover like that, her form as hazy and transparent as mist. Then she spoke, her voice hallow and echoing._

_"The amulet, Jake. You have to find it. I am trapped between worlds, and it is the only thing that can free me. One way, or the other..."_

_Her form then wavered for a moment, then vanished, fading like fog in the morning sunlight. Razor's ears went back, and he looked down, seeing the glow again from under the stones, right at the spot where Star's ghost had been. Cautiously, he walks forward then kneels down, moving aside some of the rubble and debris to reveal the black metal amulet with the blood red stone. Slowly, he reached down to pick it up. As he did so, it's glow grew even brighter, and he could feel the energy surging through his body like fire. It moved up his arms and into his chest, causing his heart to beat so fast that he felt it might explode inside of him._

**.**

Jake gasped and sat straight up in bed, his fur soaked in a cold sweat. Gripping his chest, he could feel his heart pounding. She sat there for several long minutes, breathing heavily until his heartbeat again slowed. Like the dreams that Star had first given him when she had cast the spell, that dream had been so real that he had to look around, half expecting to see the amulet sitting right there on his nightstand.

When he finally regained control of himself, telling himself over and over that it was just a dream, he got up and grabbed his clothes, heading to the bathroom to shower. It was early morning, the sky just beginning to grow lighter with the coming dawn, but Jake didn't want to go back to sleep now. Not after that dream. Instead he simply showered and got dressed, then headed into the livingroom to check the morning news for any new information on the dig.

The rest of that day he as very quiet and withdrawn, barely saying a word to either Chance or Elena, simply doing his job working in the garage and salvage yard. This was nothing new to his friends though, since they both knew about the nightmares, and that he usually acted that way after a particularly bad one. It still didn't stop them from worrying about him though.

Late that night, after Chance and Elena had both gone to sleep, Jake got back up and made his way silently down to the hanger. Changing into his Swat gear, he took one of the cyclotrons and headed out quickly into the night.


	12. Chapter 12

Razor reached the dig sight a little after 1am. Looking up at the sky, he could see the crescent moon overhead, slowly waxing toward half. It would be almost two more weeks before it was full. Not sure if there was any significance in that or not, he slowly made his way past the Enforcer barriers and into the sinkhole, picking his way carefully through the rubble.

The dream the previous night had been so real and vivid, that he felt as if he really had already been there and found the amulet. When he was near to the spot where he found it in the dream, he hesitated, looking around as sweat dripped down from under his mask, expecting to see Star's ghost appear somewhere nearby. He never saw any sign of her though, and continued forward. Kneeling down in the exact place he had in the dream, even the smallest detail of the rubble and debris being the same, he soon found the amulet.

Razor hesitated at picking it up, remembering the burning fire within his veins, and feel of his pounding heart. Very timidly, he reached down and touched the amulet. It was cold, and there was no glow to it at all. Slowly, he picked it up. When nothing happened, he breathed a sigh of relief and put it in his pocket, then got up and quickly headed back out of the ruined crater.

When he returned to the hanger, he parked the cyclotron just as it had been before he had taken it, changing back out of his flight suit and heading back upstairs to his room. He hid the amulet under some books in his night stand, then laid down to go to sleep, though stared off at the wall for many long minutes before even daring to close his eyes.

.

_Jake now found himself standing in a dark, barren, volcanic landscape. There was no sky, as it was completely hidden by a low, thick layer of black volcanic ash and smoke. The hard stone landscape was dotted in numerous cracks and fissures, within which bubbled streams and pools of molten lava, spewing poisonous gas into the air. The thick ash-laden cloud reflected the fiery glow of the lava, bathing the land in and eerie deep red glow. It was impossible to tell if it was day or night, if there even was a sun at all in this Hellish world. Jake knew that there was only one place he could possibly be. The demon realm of Malfeas._

_A short distance in front of him, Star's ghostly form once again took shape. Jake put his ears back feeling a deep pain in his heart at seeing her like that. "I have the amulet, Star. Tell me what to do."_

_"A summoning spell. You have to call me back to the mortal world."_

_"I don't know how. Do I need to have Elena do it?"_

_"Elena will never do it. She still try to take the amulet and destroy it. She believes that it is purely evil."_

_"Is it?"_

_"To an extent. It was created by the Demon Lord to summon and control vast hoards of lesser demons onto the mortal plane."_

_"Your father?"_

_Star sighed and looked down sadly, her ears back. "Yes..."_

_"But how can I make it summon you back?"_

_"I'm half demon, Jake. It will work, but to summon one specific target, the summoner must have intimate knowledge of the demon they wish to call. You know me better than any other mortal."_

_"I... I don't know if I can..."_

_Star suddenly hissed, as if in pain. She then staggered back, nearly falling to the ground, her form wavering, beginning to fade. Jake gasped in surprise and fear. "Star?! What's wrong?!"_

_"I'm weak... I'm loosing strength... You're the only one who can free me from this prison, Jake. If you do not, then I will be trapped here for all eternity. But it must be you. I cannot make you do it, and if you are not fully willing, then it will not work at all. I'm sorry, my Love, but my fate must now rest in your paws. The full moon, Jake. Please... you're the only one..."_

_Her form wavered, then disappeared. She was gone._

_"Star? Star!"_

**.**

"Star..."

Jake continued to call her name as he tossed restlessly in his sleep. When he eventually woke up, he simply laid there for a long while, his eyes damp with unshed tears as he thought back on the dream. He was sure now that these were no mere nightmares, but instead were somehow being controlled by Star, just as the very first ones had been those several months ago.

Throughout the rest of the day he was even more quiet and withdrawn than usual. Chance was beginning to get very worried, but knew that there really wasn't much that he could do. Elena was also concerned for her friend, but just as she had to learn to cope with Star's loss, she knew that time was the only thing that could help Jake now.

When Jake when back to sleep that night, his dreams continued again almost as soon as he had closed his eyes. He once again was taken back to the demon world of Malfeas...

**.**

_Jake again stood in Malfeas, the stench of sulfur and brimstone stinging his eyes and burning his throat. In the eerie red glow, Star's form again took shape before him._

_"Please, Star. I want to help you, but I don't know what to do."_

_"The ritual must take place during the night of the full moon. You must draw a pentagram made of chalk..."_

_"The pentagram is a demonic symbol though. Is that how it summons demons?"_

_"No. It is not in any way demonic or evil. The pentagram is the perfect shape. The angles and lines are all the exact same, and the form can be repeated within itself to the exactly angle and length for eternity. It is a symbol of focus, calling upon magical energy and focusing it through the caster, enhancing the power to weave spells into being."_

_"Okay... So then what?"_

_"There are certain herbs and items you will need. All but one of them are stored within one of the hidden compartments in my bike. The items have to be placed in a specific order at each point of the pentagram, then the words to the spell spoken, with full mental and emotional focus put into the spell and the components."_

_Star went on to explain what Jake would need and how to go about casting the spell. She also told him the access code that would allow him to bypass the scanner to open the hidden compartments of her bike where the items were hidden._

**.**

It would be another 9 days until the full moon. Jake was able to gain access to the components hidden within Star's bike, which Elena had retrieved from where it, and her own, were hidden while they were in the temple. There was one component that Star didn't have though, so Jake had to track it down during the times he was able to get away from Elena and Chance.

As per Star, he never said anything of his dreams of her, or the ritual, to Chance or Elena at all, since Star believed they would try to stop him out of fear that something could go wrong. Jake also feared that something could go wrong, but he was determined that if there was a way to free his lover from that hellish world, he would do whatever it took to do so.

When the night of the full moon finally came, he waited until the others were in bed asleep, then pulled out the bag from under his bed where he kept the items. Taking out the chalk, he carefully drew the pentagram symbol on the wood floor of his room. Kneeling down in front of it, then he began to arrange the items and herbs exactly as Star had told him too, using only the three candles for light.

Once he was satisfied that the arrangement was exactly correct, he set the amulet down in the center of the pentagram, on top of the herb that he had been told to place there. Closing his eyes, he began to softly chant the words, using the same strange language Star had used in the temple. He didn't know what the words meant, but each night in his dreams Star had taught him how to say them, working with him until he had every syllable and sound perfect.

As he began the spell, the talisman began to flow a deep red, filling the room with the eerie light. The pentagram then also began to glow, and a strong wind began to pick up and swirl throughout the tiny bedroom. Jake didn't stop his chanting though, determined to see this through as the glow grew even brighter, the wind whipping around him at such force that it blew about his books and papers, making it hard for him to even breathe. He started to grow dizzy and his body began to feel very hot, as if his blood were boiling inside his veins. The dizziness and heat got worse as the wind and glow increased, until all he could hear was it howling inside his ears, all he could see being the red light. Then suddenly there was a bright flash from the talisman, and everything went black. Jake slipped fully into unconsciousness.


	13. Chapter 13

The stench of sulfur stung Jake's eyes and nose. He coughed, trying to force air back into his lungs, only to find that it was thick had hard to breathe, full of ash and smoke. As he slowly opened his eyes, he saw that he was once again in that Hellish landscape of his dreams. Only this time it wasn't a dream.

Jake carefully got to his feet, groaning softly. His entire body ached, and he still felt very dizzy, his fur becoming damp with sweat from the heat of the volcanic realm. He looked around, expecting to see Star, but there was no sign of her. Jake could feel his heart racing as he realized that something had gone very wrong. Instead of bringing Star back from Malfeas, somehow the spell had instead reversed, and brought him to the very demonic plane where her soul was trapped!

The athletic tom suddenly turned at hearing a sound coming from his right. It was like the baying of hounds, only the sounds were far deeper and more vicious than any dog. He gasped at seeing a pack of half a dozen massive red-furred demon hounds, their eyes, nostrils, and the insides of their mouths glowing with hellfire, and a ridge of sharp black spines down their backs. And worse, the hellhounds were heading straight for him.

Jake knew that they had to have seen him in that barren plain, and knew that he had no chance against the monsters, so he did the only other thing he could. He turned and ran. His lungs burned in the hot ash-filled air, but he knew that if he didn't push himself as hard and fast as he could, the beasts would catch him and likely rip him to pieces. Ahead though he could see what he had first thought to be just another low-hanging cloud of smoke, but now realized was in fact a thick tangled forest of black leafless trees. He could only pray that he could reach the forest before the hounds closed the distance.

Jake finally managed to make it to the trees, about 10 yards ahead of the hellhounds, the forest rising up like a wall of brambles and grabbing branches out of the black rock. As he struggled through the thick dead trees, they seemed to be trying to stop him, grabbing at his arms and body and tripping his legs. The hounds didn't give up their pursuit though, charging through the trees after him.

Jake's foot caught on a raised tree root and he tripped, landing hard in a bed of briar vines. The hounds leapt at him, but then stopped short only a few feet away, snarling and pacing, some of them even whining with their tails more tucked. Not sure what had happened, and somewhat afraid as to what the hounds were looking at past him, he turned his head around and gasped in shock to see Star standing there over him, glaring at the hounds with a red glow in her eyes.

Her form was now fully corporeal, not ghostlike as it had been in his dreams, and there were no wounds at all on her lean kat-form body. She still wore the same red and gold silks that she had had on in the temple, though her form seemed even leaner and more toned, her face more beautiful, though it was a hard chilling beauty, and there was a darkness in her bearing. Star glared coldly at the hounds, then shouted at them in a firm commanding voice. "Leave this place! This is not your domain! Be gone!"

The beasts snarled, then turned to slink off back the way they can came. Once they had gone beyond sight, Star reached a hand out to help Jake up. At first he was unsure, remembering seeing Star's transformation into a demon and feeling a chill at the change in her now, but then he slowly took her hand, noticing that her skin was now very warm to the touch. "What... what happened?"

Star shook her head. "I don't know. Somehow, instead of pulling me back into the physical world, it instead pulled both of us here."

"And where exactly is 'here'?"

"Malfeas."

She then turned and started to walks off deeper into the dark forest. Jake sighed and shook his head, his suspicions now confirmed. Star lead him about an hour deeper, the hard ground slowly giving way to black muck and quicksand as the forest turned to swamp. The red glow from the smoke clouds above began to fade even darker, though Jake wasn't sure if it meant that night had come, or if the black trees above them were growing so thick that they blocked out most of the light, though likely it was a combination of both.

At length they finally came to an old cabin hidden deep in the swamp. It was in severe disrepair, with vines crawling up the wall, several places in the singled roof that had fallen through from the weight of dead leaves and moss, and the boards rotten and barely able to hold their weight, creaking loudly with each step.

"Where are we?"

"We should be safe here for now. I've been staying here these past few months since being trapped in this realm."

The door was rotted off, barely hanging on it's rusted hinges. Star pulled it closed as best she could then placed a heavy iron bar over it since there was no lock. The inside of the cabin was only a single room, with an old iron coal stove, and a bed against the back wall opposite the door, covered in strange furs and pelts instead of the molded moth-eaten blankets.

As soon as she had secured the door, the she-kat immediately turned around and threw her arms around Jake's shoulders, kissing him deeply. His eyes went wide in surprise at first, but then he returned it, murring softly as he wrapped his own arms around her, pulling her closely against him. Star pressed her warm body against his, continuing to kiss him passionately. He was more used to her being very dominant and aggressive, but certainly didn't complain. It wasn't long before their limited clothing was off and they were both on the bed together. His body ached for hers, and right now nothing mattered to him but being with the she-kat that he loved.

**.**

Star slowly opened her eyes, looking weakly around her at the small stone room. The room was bare except for the rusted and blood-stained chains hanging from the center of the ceiling. Star hung from these chains, her wrists bruised from supporting her weight against the iron shackles for so long. She was in her werewolf form, though with the same red coloration and horns that had been altered to her when she accepted her demon blood within the temple.

The heavy oak door opened, letting in the dim flicker of torch light, which was then immediately blocked by a large dark shape. The demon lord entered, grinning darkly at her "Well my daughter, it seems that your mortal lover has decided to come for you."

"What?"

He grinned darkly and gestured to the wall in front of her beside the door. As he did so, a red mist suddenly appeared out of nowhere, swirling about in an oval shape, and an image slowly formed within it. Star gasped at what she saw.

Jake was laying on a bed of furs and hides, with what appeared to be her in her kat form on top of him. The cinnamon tom groaned in pleasure as the shape-changed demon gently and passionately rode him, but then she leaned down and bit him on the neck. Jake gasped at first from the pain, but then the ecstasy of it flowed through him, the male tilting his head back and moaned loudly. Star snarled and fought hard against the chains. The demon lord chuckled darkly at her reaction.

"My succubus will drain him of his life energy, until he is nothing more than the another of the soulless ghouls who serve me. Perhaps I might even have him serve you, my dear, should you choose to cooperate."

"Leave him alone, monster!"

"He may have tasted your blood, but he is still only a mortal. He is not even a werewolf. Left alone, he would simply age and die. Only a short few years of pleasure before you must move on. This way, you can keep him for all eternity."

"No!"

Star snarled viciously, her eyes glowing red as she continued to struggle hard against the chains, her wrists becoming even further cut and bruised from her efforts. The demon merely shrugged. "Suit yourself. I can easily find other uses for him."

With that, he then turned and left. As he did so, the image within the swirling mist faded then vanished into nothing with a final wave of his hand before the heavy door again slammed closed. Star howled out in rage and hatred as she continued her attempts to break free, but the chains were thick and too strong even for her. Eventually she succumbed to exhaustion, hanging there limply as she began to softly cry.


	14. Chapter 14

The door to the cell slowly opened a little as a group of small imps poked their heads in, looking around with large black eyes. Star was still in her demon form, hanging limply from the chains, her head down and eyes closed, unmoving. Highly curious but not very bright, the small furless creatures chittered softly and entered the cell moving around her and poking at her legs with their sharp claws.

Barely even a foot tall, the imps were much smaller than the demoness. When she didn't react to their prodding, one of them bit down on the back of her left leg just above the ankle. Her only reaction was a slight flinch, a faint twitch of her leg which could have simply been a muscle reaction to the pain of the bite. Beyond this, there was no other reaction from her.

Cautiously, the imp moved forward and bit her again, harder this time When there was still no reaction other than a slight twitch, the others began to get bolder. A few of them began to climb up her legs and body, their small sharp claws easily gripping into her fur and flesh. Still there was no movement from the demoness. The imps aren't sure why she's not reacting at all, but then decide they want to play with her since she isn't.

Their version of 'play' however often tends to be very painful to others. Several of them crawled over her body, biting and clawing at her. One of them though crawled up between her legs, and uncurled it's long toung, which was nearly as long as it's entire small body. Star clenched her jaws together, giving a soft groan as she felt the imp's long snake-like tounge pressing up inside of her channel, but continued to fight to remain still.

The imps continued to torment her, not paying any attention now to her long claws slowly working on the shackles at the end of the chains that held her. She gritted her teeth at the feel of what the one between her legs was doing, but remained still as she worked on the locks.

Suddenly one of the shackles finally popped open. Snarling with rage, Star flung the imps off of her, reaching down swiftly to grab the one between her legs and slamming it hard against the wall, crushing it's skull. The others chittered wildly and dashed for the door, but she managed to swing herself forward and kick the door, slamming it shut. Reaching back up, she worked quickly to release the second shackle, fully freeing herself.

A few minutes later, she opened the door slowly and cautiously looked around the dark corridor, her ears swiveling to catch any sounds. Hearing nothing, she then shifted back down to her kat form the first time she had done so since taking her demon form in the temple several months ago. As Star quickly headed out into the dark stone corridor, she didn't even glance back at the cell's blood and gore-covered floor from the mutilated imps that she had literally ripped to pieces.

Star moved swiftly, sticking to the shadows where her darker coloration could help her better hide as she made her way out of the dungeon and up into the main part of the castle itself. Once she finally did so, she headed quickly toward the higher levels, knowing the lower ones would be far better guarded, as she searched for a window or similar way out.

It wasn't long though before her escape had been noticed and she could hear guards searching for her. Finally she found a window large enough for her demon werewolf form to get through when a group of guards appeared, along with her father. The demon lord snarled hatefully, but she pinned her ears at him, then ran and leapt through the window, smashing the painted glass.

The fall would have killed a normal kat, but in her demon/wolf form, Star landed easily on the outer wall of the castle of high twisting black spires, and from there leapt again, clearing the putrid bubbling moat. When the landed on the hard bare ground, she rolled to lessen the hold of her landing, then quickly got up and tore off on all fours as fast as she could go.

Hellhounds and riders were sent out after her, but despite the thick ash laden air, she was able to run fast and far, reaching the edge of the dark forest before her pursuers. They stopped at it's boundries, but she kept going. Only after she was a few miles in, the twisting canopy of black leaves and grasping branches so thick overhead that the red glow from the clouds couldn't penetrate, did she dare stop.

Closing her eyes, she felt out mentally for her lover. Though mostly asleep by that point, Jake could hear her calling his name in his mind, and subconsciously responded. Now that she could sense him, Star again bolted off deeper into the forest.

**.**

Jake groaned softly as he slowly started to wake up. He didn't know why he felt so weak and sore, but guessed it might have had something to do with just being in Malfeas. Normally he wouldn't be surprised to feel that way after a night with Star, except this time was far more gentle, leaving no bite or claw marks on his body save for one small bite on his neck.

Laying beside him, Star stirred a bit when she realized he was awake, nuzzling against him for a moment, then moving on top of him again as she began to kiss him deeply. A bit confused, Jake gently pushed her back. "Star, we don't have time for this now. Now where exactly are we?"

Undeterred, she smiled softly, playfully nipping at him. "As I told you, we're in the demon world of Malfeas. But don't worry, we're safe in this place until the time is right to perform the ritual to return."

"But I thought you couldn't get out? That's why you needed me to perform the summoning ritual?" How exactly are you supposed to get us back out?"

She leaned forward, straddling his waist and pressing her body back against his, grinding her hips firmly as she began to gently kiss and lick over his neck and chest again. "There's a ritual to open a gateway, but it must be done at the right time. And that time is not yet come. But I have missed you so much. Just let me be with you now, my Love."

Jake felt himself getting light-headed again. Just as before, he found that he couldn't think or focus on anything but her. As he again gave in to the succubus' seductive power, he leaned back, running his hands down her sides and hips as she again kissed and nipped her way down his chin, neck, and chest. She moved further down, in between his legs, the tom moaning loudly as she pleasured him, again bringing him back to full hardness. She continued this for several minutes before moving up again onto his waist, taking him fully inside of her.

Again the succubus moved gently but firmly against him as Jake gave fully into her control. But before she could again sink her fangs into his flesh, the door of the cabin was suddenly smashed open, the metal bar that held it closed bent completely off and tossed aside from the impact. Standing in the now open doorway was the werewolf/demon form of the real Star, down on all fours but still taller than the succubus, her eyes glowing bright red. "Get off of him, demon!"

The succubus hissed, her spell over Jake suddenly broken when he saw the real Star. His jaw dropped as he started at the demon form of his lover, looking between her and what he had thought to be her straddled on top of him. The succubus smiled, then dropped hr illusion. Her fur turned a bright red, with long black hair, short black horn, long black claws, and a long serpentine tail with a ridge of obsidian spines.

Jake tried to shove the succubus off of him, but she snarled and pinned him down, her long claws pressed against his throat. The small demoness was amazingly strong, the tom unable to move. She then smiled darkly back at Star. "Come any closer half-breed, and I'll rip your little plaything's throat out."

Star snarled viciously, her fur bristling as she moved a few steps further into the cabin, her strong claws digging into the semi-rotted floorboards. Her sharp teeth glistened in the dim reddish light and her eyes glowed with Hellfire. "Release him now, or there won't be enough left of you for even the hellhounds to fight over."

The succubus grinned darkly, then lifted her hand, preparing to slash Jake's throat. Knowing he had to do something fast, Jake turned his head and bit hard into her other arm. She yelped, more in surprise than pain, and reflexively jerked back. In that instant, Star lunged forward, slamming into the succubus. Her momentum threw them both through the back wall of the cabin, the larger wolf demon biting and clawing viciously.

The succubus screamed and tried to fight back, but was no match for the more powerful female as Star literally ripped her apart, the screams turning to a gurgle then stopping altogether when her heart was torn out and head ripped off. Jake quickly got up and put his pants back on, looking out through the huge hole in the wall as his lover ripped the succubus to bloody pieces. When there was little left of the succubus, Star, her pelt splattered in black blood, climbed back through the hole into the cabin.

"Star, what the Hell is going on?!"

"That was a succubus, sent to seduce you and drain your blood and life energy."

"What...?!"

"We have to get out of here. Before he sends more demons after us."

"He? Your father?"

She snarled hatefully. "Yes. Come on."

She shifted back to her kat form, grabbing his hand and leading him out of the cabin and deeper into the forest, which turned more and more into a thick swamp. Eventually they came to a cave hallowed into a small rocky cliff that jutted out of the swampy ground. Star again took her demon wolf form to carefully enter and make sure it was safe. Finding only a few demonic 'animal', she chased them out before shifting back to her kat form again. Once it was clear, Jake followed her in.

"Okay, mind telling me just what the heck is going on here?!"

"It might be easier to explain if you first tell me how you got here."

"How I got here?! Star, you told me how!"

"That wasn't me, Jake. I've been a prisoner in my father's castle ever since the incident at the

temple."

"What _did _happen there? When the temple collapsed I... I thought you had died..."

"No. I fought my father, and managed to throw him back through the portal before it collapsed. But not just him, both of us. It was the only way."

"But... the dreams...?"

"Demon magic. It was my father's doing. He deceived you, luring you here. Though why I don't know."

"So... there's no way you can get us back?"

"Supposedly there is, but it's not something I would have attempted had it just been me here."

"Why?"

She shook her head sadly. "I'm half demon. For all this time I've kept that part of me locked away. Denied it. But now I've brought it out, and I can never go back to what I once was. I figured that... best I simply not return."

"You would have stayed here? Of your own choice?!"

"Yes. It would have been safer that way."

"Safer? How if this safer?!"

"Not for me, for you."

He looked at her with a mix of surprise and hurt. "Star, I don't understand. Since... what happened... I've been plagued with nightmares of that day. My every thought has been of you. And Elena as well was lost without you. You're the only friend she's known."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But with what I am now... Jake, there's an evil in me that's awakened, and I can't risk it getting out. I can't risk harming Elena, or you."

"You've managed to control it for two thousand years..."

"True, but I've kept it locked away for that long. But not anymore. I've changed, and I can't go back."

"But you can still fight it."

"I don't know..."

"I do. You're stronger than that, Star."

She sighed softly and looked down, her ears back. Jake gently lifted her chin, making her face him. "Star, if there's a way out of here, we have to find it. We can't stay here. Neither of us. Come back with me. Please."

She turned her eyes down, not wanting to meet his gaze. "I'll do what I can to send you back, but..."

"No. You're coming with me, or neither of us is going."

Star sighed, but didn't answer him, pulling back and turning away. Jake's ears went back at her reaction. If he had to actually go into Hell itself to get her, then there was no way that he was going to let her give up on him now. He grabbed her shoulder and turned her back around to face him, pulling her to him and kissing her, roughly and deeply.

Her eyes opened wide in shock. She didn't try to pull back, but she didn't return the kiss either. When Jake pulled back, he pinned his ears and narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't you dare give up on me. Not after everything we've both been though."

Star let out a slow breath and looked down. "I'm sorry, Jake. I never intended to..."

"To what? To make me fall in love with you?"

"No, for me to fall in love with you."

He looked at her curiously, then stepped back again, looking away. For several moments they just stood there in silence. Finally, Star gave in and stepped forward again, leaning against him and putting an arm gently around his neck, kissing him deeply. He returned it hungrily, running his hands over her warm body.

This time there was no spell to dull his thoughts or his passion. Star was unusually gentle and timid, so Jake ended up takin control, maneuvering her roughly onto the ground and climbing on top of her, removing her minimal clothing. The she-kat moaned softly, allowing Jake to fully dominate her. He was very rough as he took her, raking his claws down her sides and biting at her neck and breasts. At first Star was very submissive to him, but after a while she began to come out a bit more, trailing her own claws down his arms and back, fully enjoying the feel of being with her lover once more.


	15. Chapter 15

All that following day, Chance had been getting real worried when Jake never came out of his room. It really wasn't like him at all, even with everything that had been happening with the nightmares. Around noon, the tabby finally decided to find out what was wrong. "Jake? You okay, bud?"

He reached for the door handle, only to find it locked, which was another surprise. Chance knocked on the door. "Jake? Come on, you can't stay hidden in there are day. We need your help down in the garage."

When there was still no answer, he pounded on the door even harder. "Jake! Come on!"

Elena walked over at hearing him. "What's wrong?"

"Door's locked and he's not answering."

"Let me see."

Chance backed up a few steps so that Elena could put her ear against the door. She waited for a moment, listening, before pulling away, her ears going back. "There's no sound. No breathing or heartbeat."

"What? You don't think that..."

"No, but something's not right. Open the door."

Without any hesitation or argument, Chance put his shoulder to the door and forced it open. Once he did, they both stepped inside. There was no sign of Jake, though they both gasped at what they did see. The place was a disaster, with papers, books, and clothing scattered everywhere as if having been blown about by a strong wind. Elena walked over to the pentagram of chalk drawn on the floor and knelt down, looking at the components in and around it. Chance came over and stood behind her, staring down at the symbol, and the amulet in the center of it.

"What did he do...?"

Elena shook her head. "These are all the components of a summoning spell. He must have been trying to bring back Star."

"Bring her back? But... she died?"

"She's half demon. The amulet can summon demons. I doubt she's completely dead, more likely trapped in Malfeas."

"Malfeas?! How the Hell would he even know how to do a summoning spell."

"The only thing I can think of is that Star told him."

"Huh?"

"She has the ability to control dreams, remember? Including to speak through them. Somehow she must have found a way to do so from there, and told him what to do, though I don't understand why."

Chance shook his head and looked around the room, noting how everything was a complete mess. "It looks like a tornado hit in here."

"Probably did."

"Okay, so if this was meant to summon Star back here, what happened?"

She was still looking over the components and how they were arranged, then her ears suddenly went back. "Oh no..."

"What is it?"

Elena picked up a thick-leafed plant piece with strange white berries along the stem part, resembling some type of coniferous plant. "Hemlock. Star didn't tell him to do this."

"What?"

"Hemlock isn't a a component for a summoning spell. It's not a spell component at all. Star knows this. She would never have told him to use it."

"So who did?"

"Good question, but by using it, the entire spell would have backfired. This wasn't a summoning spell, it was a trap..."

**.**

Star groaned softly, shifting a bit as she began to wake up. Her slight movement also woke up Jake, who was still laying against her, one arm draped over her. He smiled softly and kissed her shoulder. "I love you, Star. And I would give anything for you to stay with me. To be mine."

"Even your soul?"

"Like my heart, it already belongs to you."

"But what of Chance? He's your partner, and your best friend?"

"Just as Elena is yours. Chance has fallen in love with Elena, and she was staying with us, with him, for these past months. I know that she is falling for him as well."

"My Love, you've see what it is like. The way we live. We face constant dangers, never knowing what the morrow will bring."

"So do we. Chance and I... have protected our city as the Swat Kats for several years now, but it can't last forever. Not with our being mortal."

She gave a soft sigh. "Very well. I shall give you one more day to consider this, though you must consider all the consequences of it... Then, if you still wish it, I will turn you."

"Alright. But I still don't get why your father..."

"Gevaudan."

"What?"

"Don't call him my 'father'. I don't need to be constantly reminded of that. His name is Gevaudan."

"I thought it was Arawn?"

"That's just one of many names mortals have called him over the ages. Here in Malfeas, his true name is Gevaudan."

Suddenly Star's ears twitched at hearing a faint sound. She gasped and got up quickly, rolling Jake aside as she did so. He looked up at her in surprise and confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Come on! We have to go!"

She tossed him his pants, Jake catching them as he got up as well, his years as a Swat Kat having conditioned him to waking up quickly and fully alert in sudden emergencies. Star then put her own minimal clothing back on. Jake was about to ask her why the sudden rush,but then gasped when he also heard the baying, now somewhat louder and closer than when Star had first heard it. "What are those things?"

"Hellhounds!"

They left the cave and ran quickly through the dark swampy forest. The baying and snarling of the hounds got louder as they quickly closed the distance to them. Star snarled and shifted to her demon wolf form, turning to face them. "Get into the trees, Jake! They can't climb!"

"You can't take them all by yourself!"

She turned and snarled viciously at him, her eyes glowing brightly in the darkness. "GO!"

He hesitated, reluctant to leave her, but knew that he stood no chance against the beasts, especially not having even so much as a glovatrix, and so quickly began climbing up one of the large black-barked trees. Just as he did so, the pack of hellhounds burst out of the foliage, their eyes glowing, lunging to attack Star. A few of them spotted Jake in the tree, circling around the base and jumping up, snapping at him.

Jake climbed higher, away from their powerful jaws, and was forced to watch helplessly as his lover had to fight them alone. Though they were much smaller than her own massive form, they still greatly outnumbered her. Despite the fact that she was able to kill several of them with her own powerful jaws and sharp blade-like claws, they were still able to do a fair amount of damage to her as well, her thick pelt again becoming stained in her own blood.

Star and Jake both looked up sharply at a sudden loud screeching from overhead. Three massive winged beasts, about half the size of the dragon that the Pastmaster had summoned in the Dark Ages, swooped down out of the ash-laden clouds. Their talons wide, they dove straight toward Jake.

He tried to climb back down out of their reach, but several of the hellhounds were still waiting for him at the base of the tree. Star howled out fiercely and tried to lunge at the hounds keeping Jake trapped, only to be blocked by the others still attacking her. Jake tried to jump over to another nearby tree, but the winged beasts smashed straight through the upper branches, trying to grab him.

Despite his attempts to escape, one of the giant wyverns managed to snatch him in it's talons. Jake cried out as the sharp claws dug painfully into the flesh of his torso. The beast beat it's wings hard, lifting back up out of the thick canopy of trees and back up into the dark sky. Star roared out in rage, but was unable to do anything as Jake was carried back up through the volcanic clouds out of her sight.

She continued to fight, full of rage and vengeance, loosing control of herself in the blood-lust. Though she slew several more of the hellhounds, in the end her own wounds and loss of blood became too great, and unconsciousness took her.


	16. Chapter 16

Jake groaned as he slowly woke up, his body stiff and sore. He shifted, only to find that he was partially restrained. Once his pain-addled mind allowed him to focus a bit more, he realized that he was naked, chained up by his wrists in a large stone room. The walls were lined with various sorts of torture devices, the types of which seemed to span many centuries and cultures.

He hung limply there for a while, glancing about, trying to fully take in his new surroundings. There were several racks of hand-held 'tools', but also some larger devices with chains. A rack, several types of torture chairs, an x-frame, and various other equipment lined the room.

After a while, the door opened, and the Demon Lord, Gevaudan, entered. Accompanying him were several of the small chittering imps. Jake narrowed his eyes hatefully. "What have you done with Star?!"

The black-furred wolf demon was bare-chested, powerfully muscled, and wore only a black leather loincloth, and armbands of black stone. He walked slowly around Jake, looking him over. "So... You're the mortal that has managed to steal away my daughter's heart..."

Jake snarled and struggled against the strong chains. "Leave her alone, filth! She's your own daughter, and yet you have tortured and tried to kill her!"

"That may be so, but she is still my daughter, and even as a half-breed, she still has my powerful blood flowing within her. I will not allow her to waste herself on a mortal such as you."

Jake glared hatefully, but then gave a dark mocking smirk. "Too late for that. You have no claim to her. She's mine."

Gevaudan raised an eyebrow curiously at this. "Cocky, arn't we? No, I have other plans for her. And for you as well..."

The kat narrowed his eyes coldly again. "And just what the Hell do you want with us? Why did you bring me to this world?"

"What makes you think I had anything to do with it? You cast the spell."

"Star had nothing to do with it! It wasn't her I saw in the dreams, who told me how. You sent that succubus for me once I was pulled here!"

"True. And as for why, it's because with the portal now closed, I cannot enter the mortal realm on my own for another thousand years. This is the second time that my daughter has done this to me."

"So you brought her here so she can't stop you again... but what the Hell do you need me for?"

"Because there is another way for me to enter the mortal world, but for that, I need one from that world."

"I'll never help you, beast!"

"Oh but you will. But not yet. As with most spells and rituals, they must be done at the precise time. And that time is not yet here. We still have a while yet. And in the meantime, I think I shall enjoy teaching you a lesson. Star is half demon, and my daughter. Therefor, she belongs to me..."

The imps chittered excitedly as the demon walked over to one of the racks. He picked up what appeared to be a 3' long rod with a shackle at each end. He also picked up a metal collar, and two short lengths of chain.

"And what is mine, I will not allow another to try and claim. So, you need to learn your place. You like dominating my daughter? You're about to learn who's really in charge in Malfeas..."

Jake tried to struggle as the demon came back over to him. Four of the imps grabbed his legs, holding him while the fifth climbed up his back, it's sharp claws digging into his flesh. It gripped onto his neck, and dug it's claws into the sides of his head, holding him still enough for the demon to easily put on and secure the collar.

He then attached the two lengths of chain to the front of it. The imp hopped down off of Jake as Gevaudan now hooked one end of the rod onto his right ankle. Forcing Jake's legs apart, he secured his other ankle to the rod, it now holding his feet 3' apart and unable to move. Gripping the middle of the bar, he then lifted Jake's legs up to attach the chains to each end, forcing him into a very uncomfortable position. The demon grinned darkly at the kat's struggles.

He walked back over to the rack, and took another larger metal clamp and more chains. then went back to Jake. The demon fastened it around Jake's waist, attaching the two lengths of chain to the back of it. The other ends he attached to the shackles on Jake's wrists, now lifting him up into an even more uncomfortable position, and completely unable to move. Jake tried to struggle, but was already hurting and cramping up from the unnatural way he was chained up. and there was nothing that he could do as the demon now came up behind him, removing his loincloth.

Gevaudan's long claws gripped into Jake's scalp, drawing blood as he jerked the kat's head back until the tom thought his neck would snap. The demon leaned forward, over Jake's back, and Jake could feel the wolf's hard maleness pressing against him even as he felt the hot breath against the side of his face. The wolf's jaw were only an inch away from his left ear. "Now you shall learn who is truly the master here."

Realizing what it was that the demon intended, Jake began struggling even more out of fear and desperation. Gevaudan gripped Jake's hips, digging his claws into the kat's flesh as he thrust forward, impaling himself into the smaller tom. Jake screamed out in pure agony, feeling his flesh tearing and his own blood beginning to flow down his let as the massive demon began thrusting forcefully into him, literally ripping him apart from the inside. Never in Jake's life had he ever felt such extreme pain, and eventually it became so unbearable that the kat fully blacked out from it and the blood loss.

Jake had no sence of time in that dark stone room. He couldn't tell how long he had been raped, or how long that he had been unconscious afterward. All he knew was the throbbing pain throughout his body, but especially in his rear. He felt as if he should have been dead after the damage done to him and the loss of blood, and yet he wasn't.

When he did eventually wake up, it took him a bit to realize that he was no longer hanging on the chains, but rather strapped down onto an x-frame. He didn't even try to struggle or test his bonds, knowing that even if he could get free, there was no escape from this Hellish place. Especially now with as weak and hurting as he was. His mind drifted, and he wondered at what tortures had befallen his lover, now that he knew exactly how sadistic and evil her father really was.

Eventually, Jake was unsure of just how long, the door opened again. He expected to see the Demon Lord, but instead saw another demon enter. The male was tall and well built, but still not as large as Gevaudan. His features were more those of a kat rather than a wolf, though his fur was dark brick red, and he had jet black hooves and curling horns, also being clad only in a leather loincloth. The beast smiled as he entered, carrying a large leather whip in one hand.

"My liege has asked me to continue with you for now, as he has other matters to attend to. Mainly concerning his daughter..."

Jake glared hatefully at the demon, though this time he didn't struggle, knowing that he needed to save what strength he still had. The beast looked him over for a moment, then set down his whip, intead picking up a glass container of thick 3" needles.

**.**

Star hung in the same type of small featureless room as before, only this time, the shackles were different, preventing her from being able to pick the locks and escape. She looked up and snarled as the door opened and her father entered. The Demon Lord merely grinned darkly at her. "Ah, so you are awake. Good."

"Where is Jake?!"

"Your lover is elsewhere. Would you like to see him?"

She pinned her ears flat and glared hatefully. Star knew that there had to have been a reason for him to be asking that. Without even waiting for an answer, Gevaudan summoned up the swirling red mist again, and once again an image formed within it. Star saw Jake in the torture room, and the red demon there as well, setting down his whip in favor of a container of spikes.

The Demon Lord smiled cruelly at her expression as she realized what was about to happen. "I now understand why you chose him. He has more vitality than I would have expected. Small for a male, but with a surprising amount of energy."

Star snarled viciously and struggled fiercely against the chains. "What did you do to him?!"

"Nothing too much... Yet... It's still some time yet until the ritual, so I though to have some fun with him first."

"Let him go!"

"Oh no. I need him. Not necessarily in one piece though."

Star was then forced to watch, and to listen, as the red demon began to torture Jake, stabbing the thick needles into his flesh. He started with the palms of Jake's hands, then the soles of his feet. Star winced at each scream, her ears pinned flat as if trying to block out the sounds.

The container held close to a full gross of needles, and the demon used every one of them, one at a time. The torment lasted for hours as each one was forced into a muscle, into joints between the bones, and in other more tender areas. Jake's arms, legs, chest, neck, and groin were lined with them, and he was actually loosing complete feeling in his extremities from the needles pressing into the nerves.

Gevaudan stood calmly the entire time, watching the meticulous process. He glanced over at Star, who now hung limply from her chains, her head down and her muzzle wet from where the tears dripped down it. "This no longer interests you?"

"Please... No more..."

"Why?"

"I can't... why do you force me to see him suffer like that?"

"Because you need to learn. These mortal emotions of yours are what makes you weak, my daughter. Love is weakness, as it leaves you vulnerable. Love, compassion, trust... A feast for fools. You must be strong, and forget such trivial things."

When the red demon had finally used up the entire bottle, he just turned and left, leaving Jake laying there, his body a literal pin cushion. The Demon Lord also turned to leave Star's cell, though this time didn't dispel the image, leaving it there for her to continue to see.


	17. Chapter 17

Jake had no clue how much time had passed until the red demon returned. He didn't even pay attention when he did, just keeping his eyes closed, not wanting to see what new tortures lay in store for him. Jake clenched his teeth tightly, hissing in pain while trying not to fully cry out as the demon began roughly jerking out the many needles that he had stuck into him who knows how many hours before. Pulling the needles out went a lot faster than putting them in, though the tom's cinnamon fur was stained dark with his own blood oozing out from the many small holes in his flesh.

Once they had al been removed, the demon began to unchain him. Jake's body was so sore, his muscles so numb from having the needles in for so long, that he couldn't even struggle. He was re-chained back down, this time facing the x-frame, the rough wood pressing against his many wounds, adding to his agony.

The beast then unfurled his whip, the metal studs clicking softly against the floor. Jake couldn't see the whip, but when the first lash hit his back, tearing open the flesh and muscle down to the bone of his shoulder blades and ribs, he screamed out loudly. Still forced to watch and listen from her own cell, Star pinned her ears flat, though was still unable to block out the sound of Jake's torment.

The demon waited several seconds, allowing the kat to fully absorb the pain, not wanting it to dull into the new lash, which was a few inched down from the first one, again ripping deeply into his back. The sting of the whipping was so intense, that the searing pain caused Jake to vomit up the small amount of gastric acid which was the only thing at all in his painfully empty stomach.

His throat was raw and bloody due to the burning stomach acid and his own agonizing screams, though still nothing compared to his back. His only release from the torture came when he was finally consumed by the blackness of unconsciousness. With his prey no longer able to respond from the lashing, the demon rolled the now blood-stained whip back up, turning to leave again.

Jake had lost all concept of the passage of time. When he awoke, all he knew was the throbbing pain. He didn't dare move regardless of how uncomfortable he was chained against the frame, because even the slightest shift in weight or twitch of a muscle cause new waves of searing agony across his shredded back.

He was sure he had been there at least several days, but couldn't understand how he was still alive, having been given no food or water at all. Food a living body could go without for weeks, but without water, he should have died after only two or three days. All he could think of as an explanation is that it probably had something to do with the evil magic that flowed through this Hellish world.

The next time he heard the cell door opened, he didn't even bother to open his eyes, The demon chuckled darkly as he looked the tom over. "So kitten, are you ready to do as your told yet?"

Jake's ears went back a bit, but beyond that, he gave no response. He knew that there was no possible escape from that world, and he'd rather die than help the Demon Lord in his attempts to take over Megakat City again. The demon just smirked. "I'm guessing by your silence that your answer would be a 'no'. Good, that means I get to have more fun with you then."

The demon grinned darkly as he walked over to one of the racks and picked up the metal collar. He attached two short lengths of rope to the sides of it, then walked back over to Jake. The kat didn't even dare move as the collar was again secured around his neck. He feared what this demon was going to do to him, but could see nothing behind him.

The demon removed his loincloth, then ran a single black claw down the middle of Jake's back, trailing down the spine. Jake clenched his teeth hard to avoid yelling out at the searing pain of the wounds on his mangled back. The beast laughed, obviously enjoying his agony. "Oh it's going to get a lot worse than that little one, with what the Master has planned for you."

He then gripped onto Jake's hips, his sharp claws digging into the flesh. Jake tensed, but there was nothing he could do against what he knew was coming. Dispite his painfully raw throat, Jake couldn't help screaming out in pain as the demon rammed himself into him. The creature's shaft wasn't as large as the werewolf-sized Demon Lord's was, but he was still large, ripping Jake's already abused tailhole open again. To make matters worse, his hard maleness was covered in black spines, which ripped into the kat's insides with every strong thrust.

Elsewhere, Star was trying desperately to block out what she saw and heard as her lover was brutalized by the red-furred demon. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her hands and arms became stained with her own blood from her claws digging into the palms of her hands, and her muzzle was soaked in her tears.

When the demon finally pulled back out of Jake, the tom could again feel the blood and burning-hot seed flowing thickly down his legs from where the demon had ripped him open. His entire body throbbed in such agony that he truly wished for death's release, though still couldn't understand how he could possibly still be alive. He knew that he was bleeding internally now as well, and his throat was so raw that he couldn't even whimper from the pain, his breathing labored from the blood that had seeped into his lungs from his throat.

.

Some time later, when next the door opened, Jake just hung there limply, his eyes closed. Never in his life had he ever known so much agony, and he knew that he truly was in Hell. He started to wonder if he had even survived the ritual that pulled him there, and thought that perhaps he really was dead, there to suffer like this for the rest of eternity. He was now getting to the point where he no longer even cared what the demons were going to do to him, because nothing he could do would ever stop the torment.

However his ears twitched when he realized that the voice he heard was not that of his torturer from the last several days, but of the Demon Lord himself. Gevaudan's voice had a cruel, though amused, edge to it. "Loosing your fight, are you? I'd figured you'd have had a bit more spirit in you after how you managed to win over my daughter. But then, her resolve is failing too."

Jake glanced back over his shoulder as much as he could despite the searing pain. He growled hatefully at the wolf demon, though the sound was barely even audible at all, He spoke, his voice barely a strained whisper. "Where is she... What have you done to her..."

Gevaudan just chuckled softly. "I really haven't done much of anything to her. No, she's just been spending the entire time watching what's been done to you."

"What...?"

"Oh yes, but I think we can give you a break for now. But first..." He moved forward and grabbed Jake forcefully around the neck with one large hand. Jake winced, but didn't dare move as the beast released his chains, turning him back around forward on the frame again. Jake hissed in agony as the rough wood dug into his mutilated back.

The Demon Lord then chained him back down again before taking a few steps back. Now grinning darkly, he gestures with his clawed hands, causing a dark red mist to form and begin to swirl in the air in front of the bound tom. Within the mist formed an image of Star, chained up in her kat form in another stone room.

Jake gasped at what he saw. The fur of the female's hands and arms, once snowy white, where now stained and crusted with dried blood. She hung limply from the chains, obviously quite weak. But then Jake could see the door of the cell open, and the red demon that had been torturing him entered the small cell. Jake snarled hatefully, forcing out the strained words. "What the Hell is he going to do to her...?!"

The demon wolf just laughed. "You'll see." With that, he simply turned and left again.

.

Star looked up slowly, her ears pinned back and eyes narrowed hatefully at the demon. "You..."

He chuckled darkly. "Long time no see, Star."

"Go to Hell, Breaker."

"Already did. Where do you think we are?"

"You're supposed to be dead."

"Exactly. And it was you who sent me here."

"I guess I'll just have to kill you here too then."

"And how do you expect to do that, chained as you are? Besides, I'm a lot stronger now, thanks to the Master."

"I'll find a way. Even if it takes me another thousand years."

"We'll see. But in the mean time, your sire asked me to... teach you a lesson."

She snarled hatefully and struggled anew at the chains. The demon just grinned darkly and shifted to his kat form. He was tall, and though not as thickly muscled as the Demon Lord, he was still well built. One could even call the crimson-furred kat handsome. He grinned darkly at her and licked his lips as he moved up close to her. "You know, your mortal lover is watching us now, so I plan on making this something neither of you will forget."

Star snarled fiercely, her eyes taking on a red glow as fresh wounds opened in her wrists from her struggling against the shackles, dark red blood dripping down her arms. Breaker laughed, reaching down to his belt. "Oh I remember how you are. Quite the biter arn't you? Well, not this time, my dear."

He pulled out a muzzle, and Star hissed hatefully at seeing it, then jerked her head back and to the side as he tried to grab her. She twisted quickly and bit hard into his hand. He yelped in pain and jerked back, her sharp teeth ripping the flesh. "Damnit... "

Jake smirked as he watched. Obviously she hadn't given up that easily. Star gave a dark smile, running her tounge slowly over her sharp teeth, licking the demon's blood off her lips. "You never learn, Breaker."

He licked the wound on his hand, which was already beginning to heal over. "I should have expected that. But the Master has given me permission to deal with you however I see fit."

He suddenly hit her, hard, across the side of the face. She inadvertently yelped from the sudden and unexpected pain, spitting out a bit of blood from her now split lip. Breaker then immediately reached forward again and grabbed her by the hair atop her head, forcing the muzzle over her jaws. She struggled, but he was stronger than her and he managed to fasten it tightly behind her head.

Star tried to struggle, snarling hatefully, but the muzzle was on tight and there was no way that she could get it off without being able to use her claws. Breaker grinned, and ran his hands slowly but firmly over her breasts and down her sides, his claws drawing thin red lines in her fur. She glared hatefully at him. Even despite the pain, Jake pulled at his own restraints. He hated that demon, but now he really wanted to rip him apart if he could for daring to touch Star in such a way.

Breaker trailed his clawed hands over her hips, then dug them into her flesh and pulled her against him. She glared hatefully him as he leaned in close to her, barely even an inch from her face. The pupils of his eyes were pearly white with just a hint of gold around the edges. "I remember the last time we were together, and I still have the scars you gave me from it. This time, you'll be the one wearing the scars."

Jake gasped at hearing Breaker's words. He couldn't believe that Star would have ever had anything to do with that monster. Refused to believe it. Star snarled hatefully through the muzzle. She desperately wanted to shred that smug grin right off his face. He ran his hands back up her back, then around to the front again and back down over her breasts. She struggled, but he then gripped the front of her top and ripped it off.

He gripped her sides, digging in his claws again as he licked roughly down her chin and neck to her chest, licking and nipping at her breasts. Star clenched her eyes shut, trying to ignore the feeling of it. She hated him, and tried for force herself not to respond to the stimulation.

He continued roughly licking, nipping and sucking at her soft flesh, before finally starting to move lower. Star's muscles tensed and she held her legs closed as he moved down to her hips. He then gripped the chain of her skirt with one hand, and with a quick jerk, ripped it off as well.

Star gasped as she felt his rough tounge between her legs. She tried to keep control of herself, but she was now weak, and her body began to respond against her will. Breaker grinned as he continued to tease her for several more minutes. Jake turned his head away, his eyes clenched shut and his ears pinned.

Breaker then ran his hands back up her body as he stood back up, then removed his own small amount of clothing, his maleness already hard and ready for her. Star tried to struggle again, but this only excited him further as he gripped her waist tightly and thrust forward, impaling into her. Jake forced himself not to watch, but could do nothing against hearing the sounds of the red male as he had his way with his lover. Star's own moans and hateful growls were muffled by the muzzle, but Jake could still hear her somewhat through the louder sounds of the male demon.

Breaker continued to rape her for what seemed like several hours, climaxing into her multiple times. Jake even found that his own body, weak and pained as he was, also responding against his will/ When the red demon was finally finished with her, Star was completely exhausted, her fur soaked in sweat, and other fluids. She hung limply on the chains, unmoving.

"Jake... I'm sorry..."

Jake looked up at hearing her voice, now seeing that she no longer wore the muzzle, and was again alone in the room. He didn't know if she could hear him, but his ears went back, and he spoke as well, his voice nothing more than a soft whisper. "So am I, Star..."


	18. Chapter 18

For several more days their tortures continued, each being forced to watch and listen to the torments of the other. Star slowly began to loose herself, growing weaker until she no longer seemed to care what they did to her. Or apparently, to Jake either.

Eventually Breaker came back into Jake's cell in his demon form Several chittering imps followed him, carrying a brazier of hot coals. Jake pinned his ears, not liking the look of this at all. The imps set the brazier down near the table rack as Breaker began to unchain Jake from the x-frame. "Not much longer before it's time for the ritual. We need to get you prepared"

Jake countless wounds and sores made it too painful to struggle even if he had the strength and desire left to do so. Breaker took him over to the rack and virtually tossed him down on it. The cinnamon tom yelled out in pain from being slammed onto his badly scared back on the hard wooden surface. His wrists and ankles were chained down, making it almost impossible to move.

Breaker took a large knife with a narrow, thin point, and placed it into the brazier. Letting it sit in the heated coals, he then walked over to the front of the rack, toward the spoke. "The less you try to squirm, the better. No mistakes on this one."

As he then turned the spoke, Jake couldn't help but yell out at the extreme pain as the chains were pulled taught, pulling against him and stretching his body out, opening up the scars on his back and threatening to pull his arms and legs out of their joints. Once the chains were to the point where any tighter could dislocate the kat's arms, Breaker went back to the brazier and pulled out the knife, it's blade now glowing red. Even before it touched his skin, Jake could feel the searing heat from it.

The demon then very delicately began carving into the flesh of Jake's chest. The kat screamed out loudly in pain, but was unable to move as the demon held him down forcefully with one hand while cutting with the other. Jake could smell his own flesh and fur burning, as Breaker carved various strange runes into him. Once the set of runes were completed, he then placed the blade back into the coals for a few more moments. When he brought it back out again, the blade was again glowing from the heat. Around the runes he carved a pentagram, and more of the strange symbols in and around it.

Breaker then proceeded to carve more glyphs into Jake's arms and legs. It took close to four hours to fully complete the process, the demon being very slow and delicate in his work, making sure all the marks were precise. Jake would have preferred to pass out, but the constant pain of the burning blade kept him awake for the entire time.

When he finally finished, Breaker simply turned and left, having the imps carry the brazier back out behind him. Jake was now hurting so badly that he couldn't get any rest at all. His entire body ached, and there seemed to be almost no part of him that hadn't been damaged by the various tortures he had endured.

**.**

Nearly a full day passed after the branding where Jake didn't see either of the demons return, nor had he been shown any more of Star. After going so long without food and water, his lips were dry and cracked, his throat so raw he couldn't barely speak at all, and his once well-toned athletic body now more emaciated, his ribs, shoulder blades, and hip bones quite prominent against his blood-stained skin. He also had no energy left to fight with, though he no longer had the desire to even try.

When the door finally opened again, Jake opened one eye just enough to glance over. He saw the Demon Lord enter, his usual dark grin on his lupin muzzle. "Only a few more days, but I think your breaking shall now be handed over to someone else."

Jake just sighed weakly and closed his eyes. "So now Breaker got tired of me too?"

"Oh no, I simply have other matters for him to attend to. No, but I do have a surprise for you."

Jake opened his eyes again slowly, but gasped when he saw Star walk in behind the Demon Lord. She was in her kat form, and now wore a black sheer half-top, and black ankle-length silks with light grey runes, the connecting chain around her waist made of a black metal. Her manner was subdued, her eyes downcast. The demon grinned and motioned to her. She walked forward to stand beside him.

"My daughter has finally let go of her mortal emotions. My blood flows strong within her, and soon there will be nothing left but her demon side."

He then gestured to her toward Jake. Star nodded and walked over to stand beside where he was chained down on the rack. Jake looked up at her, seeing that there was no pain in her eyes, only a faint sadness. "Star... what has he done to you..."

"I'm sorry, Jake. But the emotion has been burned out of me. I can no longer feel love. Not to you, or to anyone. I cannot go back now, as my mortal side, hidden within my werewolf blood, has died. There is nothing left but the demon within me now."

"No... No, they... that's not true... Star, you're stronger than that. You've fought it for so long, you can't give up now!"

"It's too late. And soon, it will be too late for you as well."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"The ritual. It requires a mortal sacrifice. And here within Malfeas, your soul will be trapped forever, while it's release will open the portal for my father to return to rule over your world."

Jake was in shock. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he just couldn't believe what he was hearing. He closed his eyes. He knew that this was all his fault. He was blinded by his own desire for her, even though he had already lost her, and allowed himself to be tricked into casting the spell to pull him into this world. And now it would be because of him that Megakat City, and everyone in it, would be at the mercy of this powerful demon.

Star leaned down and kissed him lightly. It was hollow, emotionless, and he didn't return it. He knew that his lover was gone. This creature that stood before him now was not her, and his own spirit had died with hers. He turned his head away, not even wanting to face her. She glanced down at him with a mild detachment, then looked back toward her father. The huge wolf-demon nodded. "Do it." He then turned and walked out, as Star walked over to one of the racks of torture devices.

Jake just closed his eyes, not even wanting to see what was coming. Star looked over the various devices, but ended up taking a glass container full of long, thin needles. They weren't like the mini spikes that Breaker had used, but more like acupuncture needles. Jake didn't see what she was doing, but his ears flicked slightly at hearing her set the glass jar down at the edge of the wooden rack. She then walked over to the spoke and cranked it somewhat, causing him to suddenly yell out in pain as it pulled his already stretched body even tighter, almost to the point of ripping his arms and legs off.

When the pain subside somewhat, he looked back over at her, his ears pinned with a grimace that showed a mix of hate and pain. She didn't even react to his look, her face expressionless. She then opened the jar, setting the lid down beside it. Using the very tips of her claws, Star very gently pulled out the first needle. Jake growled at seeing it. "You couldn't come up with something more original? That's already been done."

She gave a slight smirk at his comment. "Those were different types of needles. Trust me, this is something you're going to feel even more. That is, if you have any feeling left at all by the time I'm through."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I have to. My mortality is gone, and in it's place is nothing but pain. And the only way to get rid of that pain, is to sever the ties I had with my mortality."

The she-kat readjusted her grip on the long thin needle, and Jake watched as she lowered it carefully down toward his shoulder. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth for what was to come. Surprisingly though, he didn't even feel it enter his flesh at all over the strong pain of his mutilated body being stretched to it's full limit.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked back at his shoulder in surprise. He could see the needle sticking out of his skin, but could barely feel it at all. "I think you missed."

"Don't be so sure." Star very gently placed a finger to his shoulder just beside the needle, then applied only a light bit of pressure. The instant that she did, a searing pain shot through his shoulder, causing him to cry out in surprise and agony.

Star removed her hand, and the pain slowly dulled. Jake was breathing hard from the shock of it. She gave a faint dark smirk, then reached her claws back into the jar for a second needle. Reaching across him, she gently placed the second one into his other shoulder, in the same pressure spot as the first one. He winced, but she didn't actually apply pressure this time.

She then took a third needle which she placed in his right thigh, and a fourth on the opposite thigh. Star continued slowly applying the needles into various pressure points throughout his body, until there are close to a hundred needles all over him. Jake did his best to remain completely still, though that really wasn't that hard to do given how tightly he was stretched out.

The she-kat finally tool out the last needle and gripped Jake's hand. The slight movement sent minor waves of pain surging down his arm, but he fought to ignore it. Holding one of his fingers, Star slid the needle into the quick of the claw, Unlike all the other needles where he was somewhat gentle, this time she pushed it in hard, causing an extreme pain to surge through him. It set off a chain reaction throughout Jake's body.

Every part of the tom's body was in extreme agony from the needles in his pressure points, and he screamed out and jerked from the massive amount of pain, to the point of several major joints becoming dislocated, including his hips and shoulder, which only added to the pain. Star gave a dark smirk, putting the lid back on the now empty jar and moving it aside. She then turned and walked out, leaving the male in his agony.


	19. Chapter 19

Jake was left alone for several hours, which thus far had been the most painful he's ever endured. More-so even than anything else they had yet done to him. Eventually though, Star did return, looking him over. He was breathing hard through gritted teeth, his eyes clenched shut as he fought to remain motionless despite the massive amount of pain he was in. Star gave a faint, cruel smile. "What's wrong, Jake? I thought you enjoyed the pain I gave you..."

He ignored her, still fighting to remain as still as he could. She walked over to the side of the table and picked up the empty jar, again opening it and setting it down beside him. Reaching down, she gently gripped the tip of one of the needles in his abdomen, and slowly pulled it out. He hissed loudly as this sent new waves of pain surging through his body.

She worked very slowly, and it took well over an hour for her to fully remove them all, each one causing a new wave of pain through the tom. The last one to be removed was the one in his finger, the last one that had been put in. When she pulled it out, Jake gave a long slow breath as he relaxed. He still hurt from being stretched out and with several dislocated joints, but at least that wasn't as bad as the needles had been.

Star smirked, looking him over for a moment, then went back over to the shelf on the wall to put the jar back up. Afterward she went back over the spoke, and turned it a half crank in the opposite direction, loosening the ropes. This relieved much of the pressure on Jake's limbs, but by doing so it also caused him to now feel the pain of his several dislocated joints even more.

One of those joints was his left shoulder. Star gripped down on his left shoulder with both hands, gently at first, but then dug in her claws to strengthen her grip. Jake clenched his teeth against the pain that he knew was coming. She jerked hard, forcing the joint back into it's socket, the tom hissing loudly, determined not to cry out and damage his raw throat even further. She then walked around to his right shoulder, and did the same there, forcing the dislocated joint had back into place. Afterward she moved down to his legs. Each time she relocated a joint, she did so with enough force that he could feel the bones scraping against each other, causing even more pain, followed by a dull numbness.

Once she had finished forcing all of his dislocated joints back into place, she then turned to walk out. However, she paused in the doorway, glancing back over her shoulder at him. "Get some rest, Jake. You'll need it for tomorrow."

That was perhaps the only thing that he did want to do. His body felt heavy from the numbness that slowly creeped over his limbs. He closed his eyes, and let himself drift slowly into a deep sleep. But even in his sleep, the torture continued. He would have preferred it to be dreamless, but instead he was plagued with nightmares.

**.**

_Within his dreams, he saw everything replayed from the time he had first met Star. He saw all of the struggles that they had both endured. The bloody battles with the demons, the fierce fight in the temple with her father where Jake had thought she had died, and the tortures that they had both suffered while trapped in Malfeas._

_The dream then shifted, and he saw what was to come. He saw himself tied down on an altar in some sort of temple made of red and black stone, with the demon Lord and several other demons there, including Star and Breaker. A strong wind picked up, swirling within the room, and he could see a set of stone doors begin to open, Hellish red light coming from the portal behind them. As the portal began to open, the black-furred wolf demon pulled out a wicked-looking knife with a serrated blade that curved off in three different directions, the entire thing made of some sort of black metal._

_In the dream, Jake closed his eyes, not wanting to see the final blow as the demon brought the blade down hard into his chest. He opened his mouth to scream, but the sound was muted out as his blood spilled down onto the floor. He watched as his blood pooled on the floor below him, and then began to flow, as if it had a will of it's own, toward the portal._

_The blood then split, flowing in both directions along the floor, covering the full length of the door. It then flowed up it, coating the stone a deep crimson. As it did, the door continued to open wider, until the red glow filled the entire chamber so brightly that everything else faded away within it._

_The red glow then darkened into blackness. When the darkness lifted, he saw Megakat City, but it was not the way he had left it. Everything was dark, the sun blotted from the sky, and the city itself was in ruins. Winged lesser demons flew through the skies like carrion birds, feasting on the corpses of kats that lay scattered throughout the wreckage. Various different types of demons were everywhere, and the few kats that had survived the carnage were in chains, slaves to the powerful Demon Lord. Jake could see among the ruins several Enforcer choppers and patrol cars, but of the Enforcers themselves, there were only dead bodies._

_And then he saw what he had feared the most. The black jet was crashed in the street partially against a building. Thin black smoke plumes still rose from the wreckage in several places, and he could see blood on the cracked canopy. Jake didn't want to see it, but the dream gave him no choice as his view moved in closer, until he could see what was left of his partner and best friend. Jake tossed in his sleep from the sight of T-Bone's bloody, lifeless body within the shattered cockpit of the jet that they had built. And it was his fault. Everything, all of this death and destruction, was his fault._

_Looking past the wreckage of the jet, Jake could see another body not too far away. Looking closer, he saw that it wasn't a kat. At first he thought it was a demon, but then realized that the large lupine figure didn't have the long claws or curved horns. It was a werewolf, with chocolate-brown fur and a black mane of hair. It took him a moment to realize just what, or rather who, he was looking at. It was Elena, her body broken and bloody._

**.**

Jake woke up slowly from the dream, his breaths coming in ragged gasps and his face wet with tears. For so long he had fought to protect Megakat City from the many threats it faced, but now he was the very reason for it's destruction, and for the deaths of all those that he had cared for.

The tom lay there for several more hours. He wished that he could simply die, that he could just close his eyes and slip away then and there. He should have already been dead many days ago, but something in this Hellish place was keeping him alive, and for the very reason that he feared the most.

At length the door opened again. He flicked his ears slightly at the sound, but didn't react other than that. He just didn't care. He heard Star's voice, but didn't even open his eyes. "It's almost time. But we still have one more day."

"Whatever..."

She tilted her head curiously. "What? No quick remarks this time?"

"I don't care. Nothing you can do to me could possibly hurt anymore than what's already been done."

"Are you so sure about that?"

He ignored her. He knew that she was about to come up with some even more painful torture than she had done the previous day. But even so, nothing could compare to the dream, and the realization of how he was the downfall of his entire city, and perhaps even the entire world.

Star pulled out a small blade resembling a scalpel, and slowly walked around the table, trailing a claw on her free hand across his chest as she did so. "You know, this was actually father's idea, though he felt it better if I was the one to do it. Apparently he's quite upset that I actually allowed myself to fall in love with a mortal."

Jake just watched her with a detached expression as she walked around him, stopping down by his hips. She then traced the flat end of the blade slowly down his abdomen, and lower toward his groin as she gave a dark smile. Jake's eyes went wide as he suddenly realized what she was intending, and he started to weakly struggle again now that the chains were looser. Star chuckled darkly. "What's wrong, Jake? You're going to die anyway. And you said that nothing I could do could hurt you any worse..."

He realized that she was right, and stopped feeble struggling. There was nothing that he could so anyway, and tomorrow it would be over for him. Nothing seemed to matter any more. There was no point in adding to his own pain.

She placed her free hand on him just above his sheath and pressed down with incredible strength, holding him firmly down as she lowered the blade. He clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth against what he knew was about to come. Jake hissed strongly as Star made the incision in his sac, determined not to scream out. Despite the total lack of sedatives, his body was still partially numb from everything that had been done to him previously.

The female cut slowly straight down the middle of his ballsac, then pushed the loose skin back to expose the pair of pale organs. She worked gently as she lifted one with her clawtips, Jake gritting his teeth hard against the feel of his exposed testes in the grip of her sharp claws. Star then placed the blade under the cord, and with a quick jerk, the razor-sharp knife severed it easily. After repeating the process with the other one, she then just tossed both of the bloody organs onto the stone floor.

With a dark, cruel smile, Star licked the blood off of her hands and the scalpel blade, somehow without slicing her own tounge in the process. With a flick of her white-tipped tail, she then turned and walked out of the room again. Jake groaned and closed his eyes, wishing with everything that he had left never to wake up again.


End file.
